Not The Hero Type
by thunderyoshi
Summary: Ciara had super powers. That didn't make her a hero. It made her a Mutant, a freak, but not a hero. There were plenty of those in the world already, and Ciara had no interest in joining their ranks. What did interest her, though, was a man supposedly appearing from the stars, and a hammer that nobody can move.
1. An Observer

**So this is an idea I've been playing with in my head for the guts of about two years, and Ragnarok restored my love for the series so I thought I'd try my hand at this!  
**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 1: An Observer

The crowds bustling through New York were as unobservant as ever.

They muttered insults or expletives as they were shoved off course by a small, slight figure, irritated by her behaviour and the lack of an apology thrown their way as the figure moved quickly and with more force than they believed required.

Gylfie's chest burned, not suited for running for such a long time. But she didn't stop. Couldn't stop. She continued to run, her feet hitting the pavement lightly and barely making a sound as she didn't slow down, pushing herself to keep going. She forced herself to keep her breathing even, despite the compulsion that was tugging at her to breathe more deeply and replenish the air she'd lost.

Finally she broke away from the crowd, darting down an alleyway and into the shadows it provided. Gylfie didn't stop there, reaching the end and falling to her knees as her hands, covered in gloves despite the early summer heat, scrambled in the dirt to lift the cover of a manhole.

As Gylfie's fingers caught a latch to lift the heavy metal cover, a boot slammed into her side. She slammed into the wall, choking on her own cry and sliding to the ground, just about remaining on her hands and knees. Her entire body shook from exhaustion and fear as she looked up, her dark eyes focusing on the five people who had caught up to her. They smirked down at her, victory assured as she froze in fear.

"You're fast, freak," one spoke. He carried a metal bar in one hand, hitting it lightly against an open palm to intimidate her. Gylfie swallowed, tears springing to her eyes as they moved closer. "But not fast enough. Trying to hide in the sewers like the filth you are?" he taunted her.

"Please..." her voice was soft and shook. "Please just leave me alone," she pleaded with them, but all it did was cause them to start chuckling, exchanging smirks.

"No can do, freak," the young man who seemed to be the ringleader shook his head. "Your kind are polluting my city, and I'm done with it," he declared, raising the bar. Gylfie let out a cry, covering her head in an attempt to protect herself, before a gust of wind picked up. "What the hell?!" she heard the man cry out in alarm. There was a low clang of metal hitting the ground nearby, away from the group.

"Hey!" one of the women yelped as the wind continued. It blew Gylfie's large beanie off her head, and instead of hair, black and white feathers spilled out from underneath, falling around her face. They spread down her neck, disappearing under the collar of her jacket, giving her more of a bird-like appearance.

"Honestly Glimmer," her eyes shot open, and her head lifted at the use of the name. "I think you should join the do-gooders, if you're still refusing to use your powers to defend yourself," Gylfie stared at the new arrival; a young woman leaning against the wall. She was slight, almost underweight, wearing a sleeveless red hoody, denim shorts, and a pair of running shoes, with silver hair that fell around her shoulders and curled out. Her blue eyes gleamed with something, and by her feet lay the weapons that all five of the attackers had been carrying.

"You," the leader hissed, his gaze morphing to one of utter disgust. The newcomer smirked, and Gylfie realised it was malice in her eyes.

"I see you're still playing the jock," she mocked. "How fast did your popularity drop, when everyone found out you'd been dating a freak?" his face turned bright red as his fury grew.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time," he snarled, cracking his knuckles. He took a step towards her, and she blurred out of view for just a moment, and the young man hit the ground. Blood streamed from his nose, which was bent at an awkward angle.

"And I've been wanting to do that for longer," the young woman smirked, and her blue eyes moved to the rest of the group, who were trying to hide their fear. She snorted, seeing it clearly. "Your bravado didn't last long once you faced someone who isn't scared to put you on your asses," she commented.

"Ciara, don't-" Gylfie pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. The young woman blurred out of view again, and a gust of wind picked up in the alleyway as she moved at speeds far too fast to register. In less than 5 seconds, all four had joined their leader on the ground, unconscious. "You didn't have to do that," Gylfie's voice was soft as she managed to get to her feet, wincing at the pain that made itself apparent in her side where she'd been kicked. Moving slowly, she lifted her hat to hide her odd bird features under her hat.

"You'd rather I let you get yourself killed?" Ciara asked as she searched through the leader's wallet, lifting the money and tossing the wallet aside. Gylfie didn't reply, but her unhappiness with her rescue was obvious. She didn't speak, instead watching as Ciara continued to search the pockets of the attackers, and lifted any cash they had on them. "You might not regard your life too much," in an instant, Ciara was in front of Gylfie, the malice gone and replaced with a look of boredom. Gylfie jumped at the sudden movement. "But your leader does. As do the X-Nerds. I already have enough people out for my blood, I don't need more," she said, tossing another wallet away.

"One day you'll need to pick a side and stick to it, Ciara," Gylfie warned her, her voice still soft. Ciara snorted.

"Not likely," she turned away, and Gylfie didn't miss the kick she delivered to the ringleader. "Sides are boring and don't offer any sort of entertainment to me," Ciara walked towards the entrance of the alleyway, and Gylfie hesitated before sighing.

"Thank you, for your help," she spoke up, more loudly. Ciara stopped, and after a moment, turned her head. The bored expression that Gylfie had long ago come to associate with Ciara was still on her face.

"I can't say it was out of the kindness of my heart. I've been wanting an excuse to break his nose since we were teenagers," she shrugged. Gylfie's frown grew in her confusion.

"What you said before...did you date-"

"Ew, no, credit me with _some_ standards," Ciara snorted. "I just know the Little Miss Perfect who only got standards _after_ dating him for months," she chuckled. "But whatever, don't think this is me 'picking sides' or whatever. You know who I am, and a hero isn't it," she told Gylfie. The bird-like young woman rolled her eyes.

"You never change," she muttered. Ciara smirked.

"Why would I want to?" she asked, and flickered out of view. Gylfie sighed, and made for the sewers.

"I wish I had your confidence," she murmured to herself, disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

The group of school girls whispered to each other curiously in the library, their eyes on Ciara as she skimmed through the books in the section they were supposed to be looking in.

"Her hair is so pretty."

"She's too thin, it's kinda gross."

"What's she looking for?"

"Wonder if she's one of them," the whispers reached Ciara, who tried to ignore them, but couldn't deny her amusement at how poorly the girls could keep their comments to themselves. She lifted another book and flicked through the pages, not dignifying the spectators with a reaction. To them, it seemed as if she was searching for something in particular and wasn't really reading what was on the pages, but that was not the case.

She sang a song under her breath, the theme song to some cartoon she'd seen that morning, searching through the books for what she was looking for.

Finally she shut a book with a snap, making the girls watching jump, and looked at them. Only one caught her eye, and she winked, returning the book to the shelf before walking out, smiling pleasantly at the girl. She flushed and looked away, embarrassed at being caught, and Ciara left the library.

"Think I dodged a bullet," she considered in amusement, walking down the steps and continuing down the street. Ciara couldn't even begin to imagine herself as a normal schoolgirl, even back when she had been in school. She pulled a lollipop from her pocket and pulled off the wrapper before sticking it into her mouth, and stopped as she watched another group of kids chattering away to each other, laughing as they passed her without a second glance. Something uncomfortable stirred in her gut, before she shook her head and continued walking.

* * *

A gust of wind picked up through the streets, powerful and knocked people off balance. A few people let out startled cries at the power of the wind, unaware of the cause as Ciara ran by, picking up a few wallets and anything else that caught her interest. As she moved at this speed, everyone around her was seemingly frozen in time, leaving them unable to stop – or even see – Ciara as she continued along.

"My burger!" one man wailed as he lowered his arm to find his food had vanished from his plate.

"Urgh, lettuce," Ciara grimaced, pulling the leaves from the burger as she sat on a low roof. Her legs dangled over the side as she watched people walking by, carrying on with their lives. She took a bite out of the burger, and with her other hand skimmed through an article on her phone.

"Keeping up to date with current events?" she didn't look up, only blinking, as a male voice spoke up behind her.

"This whole "Iron Man" business is entertaining," she answered as an older man took a seat beside her.

"It's a pain in my ass," he muttered, making Ciara smirk.

"I didn't think you were assigned to his case, Barton," she commented, still not looking up from her phone.

"Doesn't mean it's not a pain in my ass," Clint answered her. "What's your interest in Stark's superhero project?" he asked.

"Why? What's yours?" Ciara looked at him, her eyes shimmering with curiosity. Clint didn't reply, and she shook her head. "Of course. Classified," she snorted, looking back at her phone again. "Though I don't think your boss cares too much for the fact that Stark got his butt handed to him and lost the tech to the military," she commented. Clint gave the smallest of sighs, and Ciara almost missed it. "Right after he kicked that dude's butt in Monaco," Ciara continued to scroll through the information gathered on the world famous "Iron Man", the newest Superhero who had revealed himself right after a huge fight and explosion in New York.

After a moment, she let out a frustrated sigh and shoved it back into her pocket, earning a small smile from the man. "I hate technology. It's too slow," Ciara complained, resting her chin in her hands. "What's got you tracking me down?" she asked, watching the people below still.

"Don't play dumb with me kid, you know exactly what you've done this time," Clint told her, the tinge of amusement still in his voice.

"Do I?" Ciara asked, innocence in her voice that might have fooled someone who didn't know her as well. When she didn't get a response, she shrugged, abandoning her pretence quickly. "Are you here to arrest me?" she asked, looking at the man beside her.

"Nah, not yet," instead, he offered her a sandwich, which disappeared from his hand faster than he could blink. "Still eating well I see," Clint commented as Ciara finished it off.

"Get off my case Barton, just be glad I ain't off robbing banks or worse," she rolled her eyes dismissively.

"You know that's not the point. You're breaking into places you shouldn't be. At this rate we're going to have to take you in," he warned. Ciara was silent, her expression returning to the bored one, and she looked back out at the people below.

"I'm not a child any more. I don't need you looking after me," she said softly, and stood up. "Thanks for the sandwich," Ciara said shortly as she jumped off the small ledge back onto the roof. "And good luck with trying to take me in," she added, laughing to herself as she left. Clint shook his head, lifting his phone.

* * *

Practically throwing herself onto the moth-eaten sofa, Ciara sprawled across it on her front, her head turned to the side.

"What a day," she sighed, her legs kicking in the air behind her. She wasn't tired physically; that was a rarity in itself. But mentally she was fed up, having helped out Gylfie and lectured by both her and Clint. That was exactly why she preferred to be alone. Nobody to criticise her methods or try and stop her from doing what she had to do.

As her mind drifted to that, her gaze settled on the papers scattered across the table beside the sofa. Some were on the floor, discarded as useless. Another failed investigation. Scoffing, she turned her head away, closing her eyes.

She fell asleep quickly, still sprawled across her sofa with one hand dangling off and lightly brushing the carpet. At first it was dreamless, and her muscles relaxed and her face became peaceful, but too soon the dreams came. Ciara let out a whimper, rolling onto her side as her breathing turned erratic. At first they were dreams of her past, of memories she would rather burn than be reminded of, but then they changed.

Flashes of blue haunted her dreams, filled with people she didn't know and images she didn't recognise, of a time that seemed far earlier than her own.

As they finally started to come into shape, Ciara rolled over again, and woke with a start as she fell off her sofa. She landed on her arm with a soft thud, and blinked rapidly, moving at her enhanced speed to get to her feet and look around as if there was an intruder who had pulled her out of her sleep. When the haze of sleep finally faded, she let out a sigh, and sat down heavily.

Sweat ran down her face, and when she glanced outside, she saw that night had fallen. Ciara let out a shaky breath, running a hand through her hair. "Well...that was different," she murmured.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Coronation Interrupted

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed the first chapter! I hope you like it!  
**

 **Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Coronation Interrupted

Athos smiled to himself, his back resting against a tree trunk as he enjoyed the peaceful morning. The sun was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky as he enjoyed his alone time. He stretched, and a groan escaped his lips as he pushed his arms into the air. He then relaxed, lifting a book in one hand and a bottle in the other.

"It's a bit early in the day for that, don't you think?" he paused, the bottle pressed to his lips as another voice cut through the peace. He gave an irritated sigh, lowering the bottle and his book to reveal another figure. He wore a plain tunic and leggings, and his red hair fell into his face as he swept into a bow that had him almost bent at a 90 degree angle.

"You say that as if I've only just started," Athos retorted, his words soft and lilting as he spoke in the language of the Light Elves.

"I know you better than that, my lord," the other Elf commented as he watched Athos tip the half-drunk bottle of wine back into his mouth.

"Then why are you interrupting my enjoyment?" Athos huffed, irritated at the interruption.

"My lord, it's almost time to go," Athos paused, and groaned.

"By the Gods, it's that time already?" he complained, and when the messenger nodded, he downed the rest of the wine and stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Here you go," Athos tossed the bottle to his friend, who caught it with an amused look.

"Will you be sober enough?" he asked, and Athos shot him a droll stare. "My mistake," the Elf bowed again as Athos walked past, shoving his book into his pocket.

"I should have found a more secluded area," Athos complained aloud as he returned to the large building that was his home. As the clan leader, it stood out, and he hated it.

"All you would have succeeded in doing would be delaying the inevitable," Auvrex smiled as he followed Athos in.

"Just get me another bottle of wine, would you?" Athos grumbled, disappearing into his quarters.

"As you wish," Auvrex chuckled, moving towards the kitchen and leaving Athos to get ready to leave. After bathing – and taking his time about it – the Light Elf dressed in black breeches and a long dark blue and white coat, which flared at the cuffs and buttoned up. He pulled on a pair of black boots and gloves, and as he reached for his hat, there was a knock at the door.

"That better be my wine, Auvrex," Athos called out a warning as the door opened.

"As if I would risk myself arriving without," the Elf in question stepped in and produced another bottle of wine. "At least _try_ to make it to Asgard, my lord," Auvrex commented as Athos took it from him and immediately took a gulp.

"Give me a little credit," Athos held it out, and after a short pause, Auvrex took it. As he poured some into a small cup, Athos lifted his hat, which had a long white and red feather sticking out of it. "I think I can manage, thank you," Athos said haughtily, taking the bottle back as Auvrex tipped the cup back.

"Not bad," he commented, enjoying the taste.

"Of course," Athos sniffed, as if offended by Auvrex' surprise. He took another long drink, and handed the bottle back. "I suppose I had best be on my way," he sighed.

"I await your return," Auvrex bowed low, and Athos hummed before walking out.

* * *

Despite his irritation, Athos had to admit, as he arrived with the other Light Elves, that Asgard was truly a beautiful place. He fixed his hat, which had been blown slightly askew when travelling via the Bifrost. Most of the Elves murmured to one another, commenting on the journey there.

The bridge they stepped onto stretched far across the massive lake, leading directly to the palace of the Allfather. Massive statues towered over the city, and the sun shone brightly in the sky. Athos wondered if it was some magic, or if they were just lucky that the day was so beautiful.

"I don't know who I'm less interested in conversing with," Athos looked down to his side, where a slightly shorter Light Elf walked by his side. She had pale blonde hair and grey eyes, and wore a red waistcoat over a white shirt, a red skirt and cape, and black thigh-boots. She wore a hat similar to Athos, with a white feather at the back. "The Asgardians, or the rest of these stiff Elves," she smirked, mischievous, and a smile tugged at Athos' thin lips.

"Omanne my dear, it's as if you read my mind, half the time," he commented. The Elf maiden scoffed, shooting him a look.

"What arrogance. Who said it was what you were thinking?" Omanne laughed lightly. "Do I do admit, the Allfather has impressive taste," she decided, admiring the view as they walked towards their destination.

"I agree," Athos nodded. "But the view doesn't improve any desire to be here," he complained.

"I would have thought the idea of all the wine you could drink would do be enough," Omanne smirked, her mischief still in her eyes. Athos gave a light shrug of his shoulders, dropping them heavily.

"Why do you think I even came here?" he asked, his smile growing as Omanne laughed. "What's your excuse for showing your face?" Athos asked, looking down at the young Elf maiden.

"The food," her simple answer startled a laugh from him before he realised it, and the tension left his body. "And I suppose there is one Asgardian who isn't half bad looking," she added in an after thought.

"I see you're still charmed by that warrior," Athos smiled in amusement. He shook his head, exasperated as he saw the flicker of a silver blush grace Omanne's features. "You know he flirts with every pretty lady he sees?" he told her, and Omanne rose a delicate eyebrow.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked innocently.

"The Asgardian certainly thinks so," Athos smirked, but it was wiped off his face and he grunted as her sharp elbow slammed into his gut.

"You are not funny," she grumbled, and the blush grew as Athos just laughed again, rubbing his stomach.

"I think this may prove more enjoyable than I first thought," he considered, and Omanne grumbled under her breath.

* * *

The halls of the Asgardian palace were as beautiful as the scenery outside, Athos had to admit, albeit begrudgingly. The light shone in and bounced off golden walls, illuminating the throne room as everyone gathered for the coronation. Asgardians and those from the other realms in a close relationship with Asgard gathered in the crowds, abuzz with excitement.

Athos set his empty goblet on a passing tray, lifting another, full cup as he did and turning away, tipping it to his lips.

"At least try and make it to the start of the coronation somewhat sober," Omanne murmured to him, her eyebrow arched.

"Oh, done making eyes are we?" Athos muttered back. She snorted.

"You _are_ drunk. Asgardian mead is more potent than your own, remember," Omanne warned him as he took another drink.

"Why must you try to ruin my fun?" Athos muttered, though he knew she was right. The mead was hitting him, as were the effects of being up all night drinking, even with a quick bath returning his wits to him. He sighed, and lowered the cup, deciding to save it for when the crown Prince arrived.

And when he did, Athos was not surprised in the slightest by his arrival. The young Asgardian man, whose appearance was as deceptive as Athos in youth, strode in with the arrogance of a peacock, the Light Elf thought. His blond hair was mostly hidden under his winged helmet, and an arrogant smile was firmly in place across his face.

"And they call _us_ arrogant," Omanne murmured as they watched him stride down the throne room, waving to the crowds that cheered and holding up the powerful hammer he wielded. Athos' eyes were drawn to it, feeling the power it commanded. He tossed Mjolnir into the air, letting it flip and fall down so he could catch it.

Thor laughed as the crowd's cheers grew louder, and Athos found himself clapping, drawn into the atmosphere of the coronation. At the front, the skilled female warrior Sif rolled her eyes in exasperation, and the Queen of Asgard tried to look stern, but couldn't help the smile that betrayed her. She looked up to the Allfather, who sat on his throne watching his son approach, not betraying any emotion as he held his powerful spear in his hand.

After what felt like an age, Thor reached the steps up to Odin's throne, and knelt. He placed Mjolnir to his side, and the thud reverberated through the floor as he removed his helmet from his head and balanced it on the handle of his weapon. He then looked back up as his long hair fell around his face, and winked at his mother. Frigga shot him another stern look, shaking her head slightly as her smile betrayed her once again.

Odin finally stood as Thor grinned to his friends, the three other warriors who had proven themselves time and time again. Athos' grip tightened on the goblet, fighting the desire to knock it back. With one bang of Gungnir, Odin silenced the room. The sudden quiet made Athos' ears twitch, and he shifted slightly, earning stern looks from his elders around him. Again, he felt the need to tip back his drink.

"Thor," Odin finally ended the silence with a soft but powerful voice. "Odinson, my heir, my first born. So long entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. Its power has no equal. It's a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to rebuild. It is a fit companion for a king," Odin nodded at him, his approval finally starting to show. "I have defended Asgard, and the lives of the innocent across the nine realms, since the time of the great beginning," he continued, and Athos finally gave into the compulsion and took another drink.

"I'm hungry again," he heard Omanne mumble beside him, instantly shushed by those enraptured by Odin's speech. He didn't blame her. While he had been first pulled into the celebrations by the cheers and merriment, the quiet that allowed Odin's words to echo around the halls made him uncomfortable, and the crowds who were insistent on keeping quiet forced him to retreat into his cup.

"Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?" Odin's voice pulled Athos from his thoughts.

"I swear," Thor's deep voice boomed around the room.

"And do you swear to preserve the peace?" Odin asked.

"I swear," Thor vowed again.

"Do you swear," Odin's voice grew louder. "To cast aside all selfish ambition, and to pledge yourself only to the good of the realm?"

" _I swear_!" Thor raised Mjolnir into the air as he shouted this time, smiling.

"Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you..." Odin trailed off, and Thor's smile started to fade as Odin's face turned paler. For a moment, he didn't speak, seeing to lose focus on the coronation. "Frost Giants..." even his murmur echoed through the room, and there were gasps of horror all through the crowd. Athos frowned, lowering his cup as his thirst was forgotten. There was another loud bang, making many jump, as Odin slammed Gungnir against the ground. A shiver ran down Athos' spine, and he wondered just what Odin had done.

"Of all the days," Omanne murmured beside him, but he didn't react, wondering just what had possessed the beings of Jotenheim to sneak into Asgard.

* * *

Athos had to admit, at least there was one benefit to the Jotens sneaking into Asgard. Visitors from the other realms were quickly departing as the coronation was cancelled, and Athos was more than happy to leave with them.

"You seem a lot more cheery now. You didn't down a barrel of that mead did you?" Omanne fell into step beside him, seeing his happy smile.

"Not this time my dear," Athos gave a happy sigh.

"Well you could stand to look less happy about leaving," Omanne scolded him as she fixed her hat. "At least until the Asgardians are no longer watching," she added, glancing around. Her eyes met those of one of the three warriors who had stood at the front for Thor's coronation. He smiled at her, winking, and her cheeks coloured silver.

"And you could make your feelings less obvious, or else you risk being the talk of many," Athos warned her, earning a glare. "Not me, of course, but others," he added, unnecessarily.

"Then perhaps I'll just have to marry you," Omanne smirked, playful as she wrapped her arms around one of his, clinging to him as they left the palace and travelled down the streets towards the beautiful bridge that would lead them to the Bifrost gate. "Then perhaps the rumours will die for both of us," she teased.

"Or turn into something worse," Athos denied, pulling his arm free. "I will have to reject your generous offer," he told her with a bow of his head.

"Thank the gods. I can scarcely handle you in small doses, let alone as your wife," Omanne shuddered at the idea, and a smile returned to Athos' face at her teasing. He looked to the slight Elf who walked beside him, and patted her head. She swatted him away, muttering about squashing her hat.

"I'm sure you'll make someone very unhappy someday," he told her seriously, and she shot him another glower as he started to laugh at his own jokes.

"I wonder, though," Athos calmed himself down as Omanne spoke. "If this is the start of something much greater," Omanne seemed oddly pensive at the thought. "Prince Thor was supposed to be crowned King today. He isn't going to be happy," she voiced her thoughts, and Athos had to agree.

* * *

Night had fallen in New York, but Ciara was nowhere near ready for bed. Instead, she crept around the side of a building, her footsteps silent as she forced herself to move slowly. Even after years of training herself to do so, her body quivered, screaming at her to move faster, but she ignored it.

Hearing footsteps, Ciara ducked back into the shadows. She grabbed at the hood of the cloak she wore, pulling it up and over her face, shadowing it and hiding her from recognition. The minute the footsteps stopped, she moved, darting into the building before the door closed. As soon as she was inside, she made her way back to the shadows, out of view of the cameras.

"G'night Jason," she heard someone call, walking past the security officer who was murmuring to himself about the wind.

"Oh, goodnight Michael," he called back, distracted as he fixed the papers on his desk. Ciara smirked, able to sneak straight past him and up the stairs, where she moved to hide between the wall and a vending machine as someone else walked past, checking their phone.

Fighting to keep her breathing even, Ciara continued along, keeping to camera blind spots where she could, and using her powers briefly to remain out of sight where necessary. Most of the workers were either gone, or on their way out, giving her free reign of the lab.

The lab itself was mercifully empty, and Ciara moved around, no longer in stealth mode as she moved around searching for something. She found it on one of the computers, bringing up a scientific study that made Ciara hiss a curse under her breath.

"They're close..." she whispered, and removed a device from her pocket, connecting it to the computer. She rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet, impatient as she waited for it to register as connected. No sooner did it bring up a folder on screen, did it suddenly flicker and shut off, making Ciara smirk. "Not any more," she hummed, but her victory was short-lived.

The lights suddenly flashed on, and Ciara flinched as the change in light blinded her temporarily. The alarms started to blare, and she cursed, still rubbing at her eyes. She then lifted her head, blinking rapidly as pounding footsteps rushed towards her.

"How did they even get inside?!" she heard the frantic yells of the security guard. "Stop them before they do any damage!" Ciara's grin returned.

"Too late," she sang to herself, and moved. The doors slid open as the guards gained access, and looked around wildly.

"There's nobody here..." one frowned as they searched the lab, trying to find any trace of someone hiding, unaware that the intruder had already reached her home.

Kicking off her shoes, Ciara made a note to buy a new pair, seeing how worn down they were already. Grumbling to herself about how she'd only had them a week, she went straight into her bedroom, pulling off the cape she wore and draped it over the door. As Ciara changed into pjs to sleep, her phone buzzed, and she arched an eyebrow.

She threw herself onto the bed and lifted her phone, unsure of who would be contacting her. It was rare for anyone to get in touch with her, especially so late at night. She opened her phone, and found a message from one of the few people she had kept in contact with.

"Seems the mission was a success," she read aloud, and rolled her eyes as she pulled her hair free from the braid she'd tied it into. "Come on Gadget, you're a technopath, not a damn psychic," Ciara grumbled, and another message came through. "Jonathan, I've warned you about bugging my phone," she warned him, irritable, but read the message any ways. "Now this is something interesting," she sat up, her silver hair falling around her as she opened the link the other mutant had sent her. She then got up and walked over to her window, pushing it open. With as much force as she could muster, she hurled it out the window and into the night.

Ciara smirked to herself. She knew that Gadget wouldn't be happy with her breaking her phone. While she avoided tech as much as possible, he surrounded himself with as much equipment as possible that he could communicate with and through. Instead of returning to her bed, however, Ciara lifted a backpack and dropped it onto the bed. "Well...I need to get outta town for a bit, and I think New Mexico is the place to go," she decided, looking and feeling more excited than she had been in a long time.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Please review!**


	3. The Man From the Stars

Chapter 3: The Man From the Stars

By the time Ciara arrived in New Mexico, to a small, quiet town, the sun had risen. She walked through the town, where the people who lived there were just starting to wake and go about their day. The speedster looked around, taking in the sights as she walked around at a normal speed.

Her silver hair was tucked into a baseball cap, and she now wore a pair of jeans and a grey jacket over her t-shirt, allowing her to blend in. And, she thought to herself, such a sleepy town would be less on the lookout for Mutants. She'd be safe for a while, anyway.

Checking the piece of paper she had in her pocket, Ciara read the address that Gadget had given her before she'd left the city – minus the abuse he'd given for breaking her phone – and continued on her way through the town. Even so early in the morning, it was warm, and Ciara shed her jacket, happy to enjoy the desert heat for a while.

Reaching her destination, Ciara peeked inside to see three people talking. One was an older man, stern as he looked over the papers scattered around. Another was a beautiful woman with long brown hair kept out of her face with a pair of goggles as she poured over the research with excitement. The last was a younger woman with big glasses, trying to look like she was keeping up with the other two.

"You don't think this was just a magnetic storm, do you?" the man asked.

"Look, the lensing around these edges," the woman gestured as she straightened up. "It's characteristic of an Einstein Rosen-bridge," she pointed out as the man followed. She was confident in her words, sure of what she was saying.

"A what?" the other woman asked curiously.

"I thought you were a science major," the man frowned at her.

"Political science," she replied with a shrug, fixing her glasses.

"She was the only applicant," the first woman sighed, and the man turned to the college student.

"An Einstein Rosen-bridge is a theoretical exit between two different points in space-"

"It's a wormhole," the three looked around as Ciara spoke up. "Hey," she waved with an easy smile.

"Who are you?" Jane asked suspiciously, edging towards her work to cover it up.

"An interested party. But don't worry, I'm not here to steal your work or anything like that," Ciara walked in. "I heard from a mutual party that you guys had found something interesting," she commented as she peered at the papers. "Are these stars?" she asked.

"Who are you exactly?" Jane asked, and Ciara glanced up.

"Ciara Ellis," she answered, her blue eyes giving off an air of innocence.

"What did you mean, mutual party?" Erik asked, frowning at her. Ciara looked up at the much taller man, and then over to the other young woman.

"Jonathan Dunlop told me," she said, and Darcy's eyes lit up.

"You know Jonny?" she asked with a smile. Ciara laughed at her shortening his name. The man hated to be called anything but Gadget or Dunlop, and Ciara would always call him another name to annoy him. Darcy's smile then faded, and she paled. "Oh," she realised what she had done.

"Darcy, you _told_ someone?" Jane demanded, her own face turning a little red in anger.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise he'd tell anyone!" Darcy apologised, her voice rising in pitch as she looked worried.

"Whoa, he only told me," Ciara raised her hands, stepping away. "And I don't plan on telling anyone. I'm just interested in what's going on here," she walked over to the board, peering at it curiously as Darcy and Jane argued.

"How much do you know about astrophysics?" Jane finally asked Ciara, a little short in tone.

"Enough to recognise stars, and know about an Einstein Rosen-bridge," Erik considered, folding his arms.

"I know enough to get by. I think this is very interesting," Ciara explained. "And interesting is what I look for. For example, those stars you got pictures of? They aren't right for Earth," she pointed out, and Erik did a double take to look at the photo Jane had taken.

"She's right," Jane nodded, turning back to Erik as her irritation faded and her desire to know what was going on grew stronger. Ciara walked over to Darcy, who was looking at the board.

"Sorry for dropping you in it with the boss," Ciara grinned to her easily, and Darcy shrugged.

"You know more about it than I do. And hey, when they get all sciency like they are now, at least I have someone on the outside with me," the brunette shrugged. Ciara laughed, but it faded when she saw Darcy frown. "Hey!" she called to Jane and Erik. "Check this out," Darcy gestured for them to come over, and Ciara looked to the photos pinned by Darcy's hand. Her eyes widened.

"It can't be," Erik breathed.

"Is that a person?" Ciara asked, just as amazed.

"I think I left something at the hospital," Jane pulled her goggles off and stormed away as Ciara stared at the black silhouette of a person in the centre of the light.

"Is that the guy you put in the hospital?" Ciara asked, and Darcy had the decency to blush.

"Jane hit him with her car first!" she argued.

"Come on," Erik told the two, leading them after Jane. Ciara grinned to herself, unable to hide her excitement. She'd definitely found something interesting now.

* * *

The four arrived at the hospital to find that the quiet place was in disarray. Doctors spoke with security guards, while some cleaned the mess and arrange short fixes until damage could be repaired from the man's first attempt to escape. Ciara stayed outside, her fists clenched as she looked up at the hospital.

"What a cliché," she grumbled to herself, but as she peered in through the doors, her stomach clenched tightly and she felt the urge to bolt and get as far away as possible. She shuddered, turning away and drumming her fingers against her arm. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath, wiping her clammy hands on her jeans.

Shaking her head, she waited by the jeep, trying to keep her thoughts on the reason she was there. The mysterious man who had appeared out of nowhere in the desert during a freak, concentrated in the one area. She focused on that mystery, and slowly she pulled herself out of the hole her mind was falling into.

"He's gone!" she looked around in surprise as Jane stormed out of the hospital. Erik and Darcy pushed to keep up with her as she moved fast in her frustration. "He slipped out when nobody was looking," she growled as they got back into the jeep. "I just lost my most important piece of evidence. Typical," Jane declared.

"So now what?" Darcy grumbled from the back.

"Find him. I doubt he's gone too far," Ciara folded her arms.

"You didn't see what he did in there," Erik turned to her, looking concerned. "I'm not sure finding him is the best idea," he warned Jane.

"Well our data can't tell us what it was like to be inside that event, and he can," Jane argued stubbornly. "So, we're gonna find him," she decided, her voice firm. Erik sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to argue with her. Ciara grinned.

"Okay," Darcy nodded, lifting her back. She pulled out her taser, making sure it was ready to be fired.

"You didn't learn from the last time?" Ciara asked her, and Darcy blushed.

"The dude trashed part of the hospital," she argued. "I am not taking any chances," the young woman told her.

"You're going to look all over New Mexico right?" Erik guessed, and Jane nodded as she started the engine. As she reversed, a figure walked out behind the jeep, and was thrown to the ground.

"What?!" Darcy yelped as he crashed to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I swear I'm not doing this on purpose!" Jane insisted as they all climbed out to help him.

"He's a big guy," Ciara commented as they managed to get him into the back of the jeep. She climbed back in with Darcy, watching the stranger curiously.

* * *

"You know, for a crazy homeless person, he's pretty cut," Darcy declared, watching as the man adjusted the jeans he'd been given and lifted the shirt.

"A little too much for my liking," Ciara glanced to him as he walked out, still shirtless, before going back to the notes in front of her. She didn't understand as much as she'd let on about them, but she understood enough to know that what the three had seen the night before, wasn't normal. Her blue eyes darted back up to the man, and her brow rose as she wondered what that made him.

"Sorry I tased you," Darcy called over to Thor as he emerged from the small bathroom. "You're crazy," Darcy then hissed to Ciara, who fixed her hat.

"So they tell me," she smirked.

"Excuse me, excuse me," Jane rushed over as Thor lifted a piece of equipment curiously. He didn't move, and Jane averted her gaze as her cheeks warmed.

"I think Jane agrees with you," Ciara whispered to Darcy, who smirked. Erik just rolled his eyes.

"That's because she's _not_ crazy," she decided. Ciara laughed, watching as Jane looked down at her notes.

"What is this?" the man asked, gesturing to the sticker on the t-shirt.

"Oh," Jane bit her lip and yanked the sticker off, crumpling it up with more malice than was necessary. "My ex. Good with patients and bad with relationships," she laughed to herself, trying to hide the bitterness behind her words. "They're the only clothes I had that would fit you," Jane shrugged, and Thor looked away.

"They will suffice," he allowed, and her smile faded. He walked away as she tried to process his words.

"You're welcome," she muttered.

"Big guy has an attitude," Ciara commented, and rolled her eyes. "Colour me surprised," she murmured.

"This mortal form has grown weak, I need sustenance," the man declared. As if on cue, Ciara's stomach growled loudly.

"Oh, me too," she decided, jumping to her feet.

* * *

Jane, Darcy and Erik stared at Thor as he devoured everything that was put in front of him. So amazed by his appetite, they didn't pay attention to Ciara as she ate almost as much as he did.

"How did you get inside that cloud?" Jane finally asked him.

"Also, how could you eat an entire box of pop-tarts and still be this hungry?" Darcy demanded as he put away another pile of pancakes.

"I mean, the pancakes are _incredible_ ," Ciara sighed, finally full.

"Well yeah," Darcy agreed. "But I can barely eat two pop-tarts before I wanna puke," she complained, glowering at the other young woman who barely had anything to her.

"This drink, I like it," they looked back at the man as he spoke with a mouthful of food, enjoying the coffee he tried.

"I know, it's great right?" Darcy agreed.

"Another!" he threw it down as if to smash it, and Ciara reacted without thinking, catching it. She winced a little at the force behind it, which caught her off guard.

"Whoa, nice reflexes," Darcy commented.

"What was that?!" Jane demanded as Ciara wiped coffee off her hand. Erik watched her, looking suspicious as Jane scowled at Thor.

"It was delicious, I wanted another," Thor frowned at her, not understanding her reaction.

"Well you could have just said so!" Jane scolded, and he tilted his head slightly.

"I just did," he laughed.

"No, I mean... _asked_ , nicely," Jane struggled to explain what she meant.

"I meant no disrespect," Thor told her, seeing that she was upset with his actions.

"Alright, well, no more throwing," Jane ordered. "Deal?" she asked, and he watched her for a moment, still chewing his food. He then nodded.

"You have my word," he agreed, taking Jane by surprise. She deflated, leaning back in her chair.

"Good..." she nodded, and he smiled at her. Darcy's eyebrows lifted, and Erik looked thoroughly unimpressed as Ciara looked at the cup in her hand.

"Usual please Izzy," a man called as he walked in, taking a seat at the bar. "You missed all the excitement out at the crater," he commented as the woman who worked there poured him a coffee. "Saying some sorta satellite landed out in the desert," Ciara's head lifted and her brow rose. "We were having a good time with it, until the feds showed up," she stiffened at the man's words.

"Excuse me," Jane called, earning the man's attention. "Did you say there was a satellite crash?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah," he confirmed as Darcy took a picture of Thor to put online.

"What did it look like? The satellite?" Erik asked curiously.

"I dunno anything about satellites," the man shrugged. "But it was heavy. Nobody could lift it," he shrugged, turning back to his friend as Ciara drummed her fingertips on the table, wondering if it was best to get out of town. However, Thor suddenly stood, and approached the man.

"Which way'?" he asked, catching the man's shoulder to get his attention. Startled by the much larger man, he struggled for a moment before speaking.

"50 miles west of here," he said, and Thor walked out without a word. "I wouldn't waste my time, looked like the whole army was coming when we left," the man warned, but Thor didn't stop. Jane rushed out after him, and the other three followed suit.

"What, you own a satellite now?" Jane was asking as they caught up to the pair.

"It's not what they say it is," Thor laughed.

"Well, whatever it is, the government seems to think it's theirs, so you just intend to go in there and take it?" Jane asked.

"Yes," Thor nodded. "If you take me there now, I'll tell you everything you wish to know," he bargained, and her eyes lit up at the offer.

"Everything?" she asked, unable to keep the hope from her voice.

"Yes," Thor nodded, smiling at her. "All the answers you seek will be yours, once I have reclaimed Mjolnir," he promised.

"Mew-mew?" Darcy repeated poorly, confused. "What's mew-mew?" she asked.

"Can I have a word, Jane?" Erik asked Jane, but his tone didn't give any hint of it being optional. He walked away, and Darcy and Jane followed as Ciara studied Thor curiously. "Please don't do this," he pleaded.

"You saw what I saw last night, this is no coincidence! We have to find out what's in that crater," Jane insisted, her determination clashing against the older man.

"I'm not talking about the crater, I'm talking about them," Erik whispered to her. "We don't know either of them, not really. They both appeared out of nowhere, one talking nonsense and the other knowing more than she's letting on," he pointed out.

"He's promising us answers," Jane argued, glancing to Thor.

"He's delusional," Erik shook his head. "Listen to what he's saying! He's talking about Mjolnir, and _Thor_ and Bifrost! It's the stories I grew up with as a child," he told her.

"I'm just going to drive him, that's it," Jane insisted, trying to win Erik back to her side.

"He's dangerous, Jane," Erik warned her. "And she could be too," he added. Jane didn't reply, smiling slightly before turning to Thor.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take you," she decided, and turned to Ciara. "And we can't work with you," the scientist told her. Ciara shrugged, not surprised.

"Then this is where we say goodbye," Thor didn't seem too surprised by her decision. He caught her hand, pressing a scratchy kiss to her knuckles. Jane couldn't stop her shy giggle, blushing at his action.

"Um...thank you?" she laughed.

"Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy, farewell," Thor bowed his head, and the two awkwardly reciprocated.

"Alright, back to work," Erik led the two away, and Ciara stretched.

"Looks like it's just you and me, big guy," she grinned, and glanced to Thor as he watched Jane leave.

"Yes, it would appear so," he nodded, and the two began to walk. "Why do you not travel with them?" Thor asked, and Ciara shrugged.

"Because they just met me, they aren't about to trust me," she laughed. "I approached them, I wanted to know about the mysterious man who appeared," the young woman explained, looking ahead as Thor examined her curiously. He didn't speak, but after a moment, Ciara felt the hat being pulled from her head, and her hair fell around her. "Dude!" she snatched back the hat faster than he could register.

"That speed, your hair," Thor considered as Ciara tucked her hair back into the hat, looking around to make sure no-one had seen. "Are you perhaps part Elf?" he asked, and she arched an eyebrow, continuing to walk.

"Elf? No," she shook her head.

"Then perhaps of Vanaheim?" he suggested, making her frown turn to one of confusion.

"Never heard of it," Ciara answered.

"But you cannot be mortal," Thor argued, and Ciara rolled her eyes.

"Let's not talk about it, okay? We have a long way to walk and I don't think you could keep up with me if I went faster," she bit, making him blink in surprise at the hostility in her voice.

"I did not mean anything of it," Thor told her, and watched as she sighed, her shoulders slumping forwards. His head tilted slightly as he couldn't help but wonder just who she was.

* * *

The two had been walking for almost an hour and they were still a long way away from the crater site. For the most part, they walked in silence, with Ciara occasionally humming to herself or asking Thor odd questions that he didn't entirely understand.

Ciara rubbed her arms, her muscles still egging her on to move faster. She hated walking like a normal person for very long, especially when she knew she still had so far to go.

"Do you require rest?" Thor's question took her by surprise, even if it was a begrudging offer.

"No thanks big guy, in fact it's the opposite," Ciara grinned, any trace of her previous grump gone as they continued to walk, reaching the outskirts of the town. She watched him as he didn't speak, showing no signs of tiring either, despite the constant walking. There was no doubt in her mind, he wasn't human. But as to what he really was, she had no idea. And that just made her more curious.

"Hey!" they stopped as Jane's voice reached them with the beep of the jeep's horn. "You still need a lift?" she called out the window.

"What changed your mind?" Ciara asked as they jogged over to the van.

"Some crazy government agency just stole all my research," Ciara stopped as she went to climb into the back of the jeep.

"This agency have a name?" she asked as she recovered, and closed the door behind her.

"SHIELD," Jane's answer was exactly what Ciara expected, and as she started driving, the speedster closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

"Of course it was..." she whispered to herself. She couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face as Jane and Thor spoke in the front. "This is going to be a lot more fun than I expected," Ciara determined.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think!**


	4. Broken Storm

Chapter 4: Broken Storm

 _It was night in the city and the high school was abuzz with excitement at the girls' soccer game going on. The finals had arrived at long last and the local TV station had even shown up to record the match._

" _The game is underway, and it's-hey!" the announcer cried out in horror as something long and slimy wrapped around the mic and yanked it out the open door. The mic flew through the air, and into the hand of a teenage boy who wore an odd suit that had metal wrapped around the arms._

" _Excuse me folks," he called, halting the game going on below. "Hey, can I have your attention up here?" he asked, waving in the semi-darkness from on top of the announcer's booth. The spotlights were then moved, focusing on the boy in the strange suit. Behind him, a small, weedy boy hopped up wearing a green suit, and a massive boy wearing a white shirt and ripped denim jacket approached. Two more figures appeared in blurs, one wearing a silver and blue jumpsuit while the only girl wore a black crop top and pants with a pair of long boots and a sleeveless coat, both with silver hair._

 _The girl scanned the crowd, her blue eyes resting on a small group of teenagers who were glaring up at them, wondering just what was planned. She smirked, ready for a fight. And after Lance was through, they would definitely give them that._

 _As most of the crowd were horrified by the announcement, and by the boy ripping the pitch in two, almost causing a few of the players to fall, they started to flee, and the two groups clashed._

" _Mercury, you've really done it this time," the girl glanced around lazily from where she stood on the pitch, watching the fight, and she moved at the last second before vines burst from the ground._

" _You have no idea what's going on, beanstalk," she smirked, rushing at him. The teenage boy facing her in a suit similar to the rest of his team, moved his hands, and the vines he'd called on moved around him to defend himself from the girl who was too fast to catch. She dodged the vines and got in close with a punch much stronger than her delicate frame seemed to be capable of. He was knocked to the ground, and the vines withered and retreated back underground as he clutched his jaw. Mercury then began to run around him, causing another whirlwind much like the other Speedster who had tormented the new principal._

" _Ciara, enough!" she heard a young woman call out, right before she was lifted off her feet and pulled through the air by an unseen force. She dangled upside down, but she just grinned unapologetically at the red-head before she was tossed away from her opponent._

 _Landing with a crash in the broken bleachers, Ciara couldn't help but laugh as she looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds start to form overhead, and rain began to pour._

* * *

By the time Ciara woke from her uneasy sleep and pulled herself from the haze of her dreams of the past, night had fallen and they had arrived at the base that had been constructed in only a few hours.

"What is going on?" Jane wondered as Ciara pushed herself up into a proper sitting position, yawning widely. Thunder rumbled overhead as they climbed out of the jeep, and approached the base from a hill, peering at it from a distance. "That's no satellite crash, they would have hauled the wreckage away, they wouldn't build a city around it," she scowled, baffled by the actions of the people they watched.

"A very secure city," Ciara spoke as she folded her arms.

"You're going to need this," Thor draped his jacket over Jane as she watched through binoculars.

"What? Wait, why?" she asked, looking up at him, and thunder boomed again, making her look up. Thor laughed.

"Stay here. Once I have Mjolnir, I will return the items they stole from you," he vowed, and Ciara rolled her eyes as she seemed to be forgotten in the moment. "Deal?" he smiled as Jane stared at him.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Look what's down there! You think you're just going to walk in, grab our stuff and walk out?" Jane demanded. Thor's smile just widened.

"No," he answered honestly. "I'm going to fly out," he told her, and Ciara smirked.

"Well, if that's the case," she stood up with him. "I can at least get you in there," the young woman pulled off her cap and tossed it aside, letting her hair fall down. Jane stood up quickly; a wariness blooming in her eyes that Ciara was long familiar with.

"You're a mutant," the scientist accused.

"Please, you thought I was this crazy and not one?" Ciara snorted, and both Jane and Thor saw her defences rising. "I can provide a good distraction to get you into the base," she offered, pulling her cloak out of her bag and pulling it on in place of her jacket.

"Why do you offer your services in such a perilous mission?" Thor asked as Ciara fixed the cloak around her colour. She looked up at him, and he was struck by the familiarity of the look in her eyes.

"Because it'll be fun," she told him honestly. He frowned at her answer, and Ciara looked over to the base. "Anything to mess with SHIELD is appealing to me, and this whole thing with you appearing out of nowhere, and uh...Mjolnir," Thor gave a slight nod at her pronunciation. She grinned, and the familiarity grew. "Sounds way too interesting for me to keep my nose out," Ciara shrugged.

"I...I appreciate the honesty," Thor told her, and Ciara grinned.

"I'll make a hole in the fence for you to get through, they'll spot it pretty quick but I'll keep as much focus as I can on the other side of the perimeter," she gave a two fingered salute, and was gone in a gust of wind that kicked up dust around them.

"Are you sure you can trust her?" Jane turned to Thor, who was looking down at the base again.

"I do not know," he confessed with a shake of his head. "But.." he paused, and gave a small smile. "Her mischief reminds me of my brother," he told Jane, and started walking down towards the base as she watched, worried.

* * *

A perimeter patrol walked past, not spotting Ciara as she blended into the shadows, her hood up and hiding her face. Her heart pounded faster than usual; not with fear but with excitement, as she watched them go by, before slipping out of her hiding place and into the base.

Thunder boomed overhead as Ciara's footsteps echoed off the metal plating that made up the pathway around the base. She heard more footsteps, but instead of looking for a place to hide, she waited for the two men to turn the corner. They stopped abruptly, startled for just a heartbeat, before both aimed guns at her.

"Stop right there," one barked.

"I hadn't even moved," Ciara answered innocently, tilting her head as the other grabbed for his radio.

"Sir, we have an intruder here," he reported.

" _Detain them, I'm on my way_ ," there was an immediate answer, and Ciara suddenly moved. She blurred out of view for the two, who looked around wildly as a black streak darted around the narrow corridor.

"Mutant!" the first guard snarled, but before he could think to open fire, Ciara's fist collided with his jaw and he hit the ground like a sack of bricks.

"Dammit!" the other aimed his gun at Ciara, who easily dodged his punch and caught his gun. She slammed the butt of the gun against his temple, and he crumpled. More thunder boomed, and Ciara pulled her hood down, revealing her face to the cameras.

"Catch me if you can boys!" she taunted, running off. The alarms began to blare, and the base was illuminated by lightning flashing. Rain began to pour, and Ciara ran back outside at a speed guards could see her. They gave chase, yelling at her to stop, but she didn't stop.

* * *

"We have two problems," Coulson realised as he looked at the screens. Ciara was still darting around, never leaving the sight of the agents chasing her, firing to try and stop her but missing every shot. He then glanced to the other screens, which showed Thor taking out every person who came his way. "Acting the bait was clever, Ellis, I have to admit," he commented quietly, before lifting his radio. "We need eyes in the sky. With a gun," he ordered, before looking to the young man beside him. "Can you handle her?" he asked.

"I can slow her down," the other replied, cracking his knuckles and grinning. "I've been waiting a while to teach her some manners," he declared, walking out of the base.

* * *

The rain was relentless and unforgiving, and Ciara was struggling to keep up her speed as she slid around the mud. She was soaked and mud clung to her clothes, face and hair, splashing up around her as she continued to run. When she noticed a dead end coming up, she changed direction quickly, taking advantage of how her pursuers also slipped in the mud. Only a few kept their balance, only to be knocked down as Ciara rammed into them.

"Come on, is this all you guys have to offer when guarding that thing?" she complained, pushing her hair from her face and leaving another streak of mud across her forehead. They got back up, and Ciara sped up, racing around them and splattering them all with mud while battering them with the winds created by her speed.

When the ground suddenly began to shake under her feet, Ciara was forced to stumble away from them, and the winds calmed as she fell into the mud. She blinked, confused for a moment as she struggled to understand just what had caused the ground to shake.

"Why is it that you are always in the mud when I see you?" her eyes widened at the familiar voice, and she looked up at the newcomer. He was soaked as well, with his brown hair pushed out of his eyes so he could see a little better in the rain. "Come on Mercury, surely you've gotten better since we were teenagers," Lance smirked at her, and she pushed herself back to her feet.

"Avalanche, I see you're still as lame as ever," she bit back with a grin. "Can't believe SHIELD even took you in," she mocked him.

"Hey, it's better than always being on the run and being a general pain in the ass," Lance retorted, his hand out in front of him. Ciara eyed it warily. "I guess it's a speed thing," he goaded, and Ciara's fists clenched as her eyes darkened.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play it, rock-slide," she muttered. "Then let's play," Ciara rushed him, and immediately Lance moved his hand, focusing, and the ground shook again. Ciara stumbled, cursing as she was forced to dart away to keep on her feet and away from her opponent. He continued to make the ground quake, following her as she was forced to move where he wanted her.

"Not as uncatchable as you thought, huh?" Lance called to her, and Ciara's fists clenched. He was taken by surprise when she suddenly darted a different way, spinning and creating a wave of mud that knocked him off balance. As he stumbled backwards, the ground stopped shaking, and Ciara was on him, knocking him to the ground. He grunted as she punched him, and he knew he'd struck a nerve about what he'd said. It was exactly why he'd said it. Spitting as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, Lance looked back up at her. "Why are you even here, Ciara?" he called as he caught her wrists, stopping her from striking him again.

"Like I'll tell you shit!" she snapped back, struggling.

"You haven't changed and it's going to get you into real trouble, you know!" Lance warned her, before seeing movement in the corner of his eye. He looked around, and Ciara followed his gaze to see Thor through a tear in the tarp. He strode towards the centre of the base, spitting blood himself after fighting with a massive man. "What's he doing?" he questioned, squinting through the rain.

"That's what I want to know," Ciara spoke quietly, her eyes trained on Thor as the mud covered man reached the strange item in the centre of the crater. He grinned with relief and confidence as he circled it. Above, Clint watched, his arrow on Thor, but didn't take the shot as he wrapped his hand around the handle. Thor's smile immediately faded when it didn't move. Gripping with both hands, he let out a furious roar, struggling to lift it, before letting go and stumbling backwards. He let out a scream to the skies as the storm raged on, filled with fury and sorrow, before falling to his knees.

Lance felt Ciara slacken in his grasp, and he looked up at her. She watched as Thor was cuffed and pulled away, and she moved off Lance, stepping back and into the hands of two agents who forced her arms behind her to handcuff her. He frowned, watched as she was led away, before glancing back to the centre of the crater, wondering just what was going on.

* * *

Clint sighed as he stood in front of Ciara, his arms folded as he took in the sight of her. Her clothes had dried, as had the mud, leaving her filthy and looking like she'd been dragged through the mud. She looked up at him, unapologetic and defiant, just as much as the first time he'd come face-to-face with the young speedster.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," she broke the silence first, leaning back in her seat. The cuffs had been removed; from experience Clint knew they did little to stop her.

"What were you doing here Ciara? Last I checked you were causing trouble in New York labs. I figured you'd be laying low somewhere for at least a few weeks before pulling some other stupid stunt," he asked her, watching the young woman who he'd first come across when the knowledge of mutants first became a common thing.

 _The girl sat on the wooden seat in front of him didn't look any older than 17, and the defiant look she was giving him only further confirmed those suspicions. Clint resisted sighing, wondering why he was the one in charge of handling the silver-haired girl who'd been caught at the site of the robot attack that had revealed mutants to the world._

" _So what's your name, kid?" he asked her, finally ending the silence that had been palpable since he had stepped into the detention room where she'd been holed up._

" _Ciara Ellis," she answered faster than he'd expected._

" _Is that your real name?" Clint asked her, sceptical._

" _It has been for a while," he frowned, watching her with his sharp eyes. Something told him she was being honest with him. He glanced down at the file in his hands on her, which provided very limited background. "So uh...is there any reason you guys are keeping me here? I have stuff I need to take care of," Clint looked up, and his eyes widened as she spun the cuffs around her finger._

" _How'd you get out of those?" he asked, taking them from her to examine them. He couldn't stop any faults with them, which only made him more confused._

" _So can I go?" she asked, tilting her head and giving an innocent look. "Like I said, I have stuff to do. I didn't cause the Sentinel attack in the city," Ciara told him._

" _But you know what that thing was," Clint's words were a statement, not an accusation. He saw the flicker of alarm pass her face before a much more guarded look showed on her face as tears filled her eyes, and something told him he was seeing something a lot more truthful than before._

"So are you going to tell me what you were doing with that guy?" Clint asked as he pulled himself from the memory. Ciara looked bored, looking around the mirrored room that was similar to the one that Thor was being kept in.

"Tell me what you think," she replied, and he sighed.

"You were helping him. Your pattern was obvious," Clint told her what he knew to be true. "You were bait designed to keep our main focus on you so that guy could get to the object in the centre of the crater," he continued, and if he was wrong, she didn't correct him. "We want to know why. You aren't in the hero business, but you're also smart enough for the most part to avoid interfering in SHIELD investigations. So what were you doing?" he asked.

"I just wanted to help him get what was his," Ciara answered, and Clint shook his head.

"I don't believe that for a second. That's not what you do," he told her, and she shrugged, looking away.

"Okay, okay, I just helped him because it was fun," she decided, and Clint nodded to himself. Now _that_ seemed more like it.

"Kid, you know that if you continue down this path, then we _are_ going to have to take action against you," he warned her. "We understand your reasoning for a lot of what you do, even if you claim it's just for fun," Ciara's defiance returned and he knew he was striking a nerve with her. Her poker face was terrible. "But there's limits, and if people start getting hurt-"

"Sir, Agent Coulson would like a word," the door slid open, and Clint's eyes widened.

"Shut the door!" he barked, but it was too late. There was a gust of wind, and Ciara was gone. He hissed a curse, not attempting to give chase, knowing that he'd never catch her.

Ciara darted through the base, glancing to Thor for just a moment as he sat in a room staring at his hands while Coulson talked to him. She shook her head, wondering if she'd been wrong about him after all, if he really was just a crazy human with delusions of great power. With a shrug, Ciara turned and sped through the base to get out.

Stopping as she reached the open area where what Thor claimed was Mjolnir still rested, unable to be moved by anyone else, Ciara frowned. The scientists who had been sent out to investigate worked away, studying the mysterious energy that Mjolnir was producing, but none of them seemed to be paying any heed to the man in the crater.

Wearing a suit and a green coat, the man had black slicked back hair and didn't pay anyone around him any heed as he tugged at Mjolnir to no avail. He stopped when he heard a snort of laughter, and a shadow cast over him. At first he didn't react, before Ciara spoke.

"Having some trouble?" she asked, and he looked up with wide eyes, staring at the young woman watching him in amusement.

* * *

 **So there was a brief insight into Ciara's past and a face from her past...and now this!**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	5. Mortal

Chapter 5: Mortal

Loki stared up, stunned into silence. After visiting his brother, he'd gone to Mjolnir, and found that he couldn't even make it budge, and judging by the setup the mortals around him had built, nobody else had been able to move it either.

He'd heard murmurs while he watched unseen, of how Thor had broken in and fought each of the highly trained guards who had crossed his path, not that he was particularly surprised. The strength of mortals was nothing to take seriously, even as an Asgardian exile.

As he tugged at Mjolnir, trying to lift the powerful weapon, he heard a laugh, and a shadow fell over him. Still, Loki didn't react, not believing it was aimed at him, and pulled again at the handle still in his grasp. It still didn't budge, and his irritation grew.

"Having a little trouble?" he froze, realising at last that she was talking to him. Looking up, he met the gaze of a young mortal woman, whose appearance didn't quite match what he knew of those on Midgard. Her silver hair was a mess, and she was covered in dried mud, making her even less attractive than most. She grinned at him, crooked and devious, as she crouched at the edge of the dip in the crater.

Loki's grip on Mjolnir slackened, and he dropped his arm to his side. He watched her for a moment longer, before finally finding his tongue.

"How is it that you can see me?" he asked, casting his gaze to the scientists around the area. None of them reacted to him speaking, meaning she was the only one who could see through his magic.

"Huh, you speak like the big guy," the silver haired young woman commented in a casual tone, looking around in a disinterested look, but he could see the sharpness in her gaze. She was also checking on the people around them, which led him to believe that she belonged there as much as he did.

"You didn't answer me," his brow arched slightly.

"So you're cloaked in some way," she confirmed to herself. "To try and get Mjolnir, but it looks like that's working out as well for you as it did for the big guy," she laughed to herself, seeming to enjoy his failure. Loki tried not to react to her mockery, but his fingers curled in as he clenched his fist, debating on whether it would be worth it to kill her then and there. After all, she had seen him make an attempt to take Mjolnir. The only thing that stayed his hand, was that she could see through his magic. Her sharp eyes darted to his hand, and her infuriating grin grew wider.

"Are you another protector who failed to guard it against that oaf?" Loki spoke again, still studying the strange mortal.

"Do I really look like I work with these stiffs?" she snorted. He had to admit, she didn't seem to fit in with the others he'd watched around the base, nor had she given any sort of warning when she'd seen him. "You call Thor an oaf? Interesting attitude, considering you're failing to grab it just like he has," she tapped a finger to her chin as she seemed thoughtful. Her movements were quick and fluid, and almost inhuman. Loki's eyes narrowed as he considered that possibility.

"You've still not answered my question. How is it that you are able to see me, when nobody else can?" he asked her. "Who-no," he stopped, and seemed to ponder his next question. " _What_ are you?" he challenged The mortal's smile just widened, as if he'd finally asked something interesting to her.

"Well, how _are_ you hidden to-"

"Ciara, what the hell are you still doing here?" her cocky look immediately changed to surprise before she masked it back into amusement. "Considering you escaped custody, you'd think you've be halfway back to New York by now," Loki glanced to the young man who had spotted her, his brown hair cut out of his face and his hand out in front of him. It seemed like a harmless gesture, but Ciara's eyes were trained on it with a wariness to them.

"I was just admiring the _satellite_ ," Ciara stood up properly, emphasizing the word to show her mockery of SHIELD'S cover story. "Don't worry, I'm out of here. I need a shower," her eyes darted to Loki as he watched, not understanding the interactions, and she winked at him, before her muscles tensed very slightly, and she started running, disappearing in a blur out of the base. Lance cursed.

"I will never understand speedsters," he declared aloud, turning and walking away. Left with more questions than answers, Loki glanced around, ensuring his magic was still in place, before he vanished.

* * *

Jane drummed her fingers against her arm, unsure of how she'd gotten to this point. While Erik had gone to free Thor, having given him a false identity to get him out, Ciara had reappeared, filthy and exhausted, and after using the majority of the hot water, she'd passed out in a corner.

The young woman had abandoned any pretence of normality earlier that night, and Jane was now even more unsure whether she should trust her. She'd never met a mutant personally, but she'd heard so many stories of problems caused. Jane sighed, taking a seat on her bed and lifting her notebook as guilty consumed her. She didn't mean to be prejudiced, but something about Ciara made Jane reluctant to trust her.

Ciara moved in her sleep, having curled up in a corner and fallen asleep quickly, and mumbled something that Jane didn't make out. Her silver hair, still damp from her shower, fell into her face, which scrunched up as if in pain.

"Ciara Ellis..." she murmured, wondering just who she was. Her fingers itched as for a moment she thought of looking online, before remembering that SHIELD had taken her laptop as well. Jane sighed, sinking farther down on the bed. One more mystery put on hold. She then glanced to the cloak hanging from the chair nearby, and she hesitated, looking to Ciara again. The speedster was still fast asleep.

Edging off the bed as quietly as she could, Jane crept over to the jacket, which was strangely clean. "Am I really doing this...?" she hesitated again, before finally starting to search the pockets. There was no phone, which seemed strange to the scientist. She glanced to Ciara, who hadn't stirred. Everyone had a phone nowadays, it was just a known thing. Jane frowned, trying to tell herself that the girl might have lost it during the events of the previous night.

Continuing to search Ciara's pockets, Jane's fingertips brushed paper, and she pulled it free curiously. To her surprise, it was a photo, worn from age, of Ciara as a teenager. Her hair was longer, tied in a braid, and she was standing with a group of boys. Jane studied it curiously, thinking to herself of how they all seemed to fit the outcast clique she'd stayed away from in school, and how Ciara fit perfectly in with them. She slipped it back into the pocket, still without answers.

A knock at the door made her jump, and she startled away from the jacket as she spun towards the door. Composing herself, she pushed open the door and gasped as Thor stood in the doorway, with Erik over his shoulder. "Oh my god, is he okay?" she asked.

"He's fine, not injured at all," Thor laughed. There was a thud and a groan as Erik's head hit the cupboard in the cramped caravan. "I am sorry my friend," he laughed again.

"What happened?" Jane demanded.

"We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!" Thor declared, and Jane sighed heavily.

"Put him on the bed," she pointed to the bed hidden away, and Thor carried Erik through, setting the man down. The astrophysicist spotted Jane, and broke into a goofy smile before he fell backwards onto the bed, bringing Thor with him. The man laughed as Jane sighed at the sight.

"I still don't think you're the God of Thunder," Erik laughed, slurring his words. "But you ought to be!" he patted Thor's cheek before passing out.

"I see Ciara is no worse off from last night," Thor commented as he noticed the girl in the corner, wearing Jane's clothes with her cloak covering her. She hadn't woken, despite the commotion.

"Yeah..." Jane nodded, watching Ciara as well.

"Are these your chambers?" Thor asked curiously, and Jane looked to him. She blushed in embarrassment as he looked around.

"Uh, it's more of a temporary living situation," she told him, and saw the dirty dishes scattered. In a panic, she shoved them into a cupboard, before realising what she'd done. She put the dish into the sink, covering it with a towel, stammering excuses as her blushing grew. "Can we go outside?" she asked, and Thor nodded.

"Yes, of course," he agreed, and the two went out, shutting the door behind them. Ciara yawned widely, opening her eyes.

"Big guy and the pretty scientist lady, why am I not surprised?" she wondered, chuckling to herself.

* * *

Thor covered Jane with the blanket she had with her as the fire beside them continued to crackle. She'd fallen asleep sometime into the night, when Thor had taken a break from telling her all about the different realms.

"Thank you, Jane," he murmured, sitting back down. He jolted, looking around as Ciara cleared her throat.

"Thought you might want some food," she offered two large burgers wrapped in paper, and he took them slowly, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. If it was, Ciara made no indication of noticing. Instead, she took a seat on the ground by the fire, producing another two burgers.

"Thank you," Thor remembered his manners, and unwrapped one to take a bite.

"I'm sorry you didn't get Mjolnir back," Ciara's voice was oddly sympathetic as he enjoyed the meal.

"It opened my eyes to truths my father wanted me to see," Thor told her, and she hummed. "Thank you, for your assistance last night," he said as she took a bite of her own.

"I did it to mess with SHIELD," she told him.

"Why is that? Did they take something from you also?" Thor asked, curious.

"Not really," Ciara shook her head, watching the fire. "In fact, the people I regard as my family work for them. But they are getting in my way, and acting like they're doing it for my best interest. I can't agree with that," she told him honestly, before laughing. "Huh. Never really admitted that to anyone," Ciara realised, and took another big bite as if to shut herself up.

"I asked you this before, but what are you, Ciara Ellis?" Thor asked again, and Ciara didn't reply, still chewing her food. "Jane called you a...mutant? Are you perhaps a hybrid?" he asked, and she laughed through her food.

"Nothing like that. I'm as close to human as I can get, without really being human," she explained, and when she saw his confused expression, she decided to elaborate. "My DNA, it's got this gene, what people call the 'X-Gene'. It mutated me, and gave me my super speed. That's why I move so fast," Thor nodded, fascinated. "People like me, we're called mutants, because we're different, not human," she explained.

"Do all of you move so fast?" Thor pressed, and Ciara shook her head, her expression turning sad.

"No. I only know one other who has a power like me. Mutants come in all types, like this guy I know, he can control earth. And another guy can teleport, while another can read minds and control people with his mind," Ciara listed.

"That's remarkable!" Thor exclaimed, and glanced to Jane as she stirred in her sleep.

"Remarkable isn't the word I'd use," there was a hissing noise as Ciara tossed the paper into the fire and started on the second burger. "I don't know about you, or where you're from, but being different here, it's not good. Mutants aren't trusted, but I guess I don't give them a good reason to trust us," she chuckled darkly.

"I do not understand. Where I'm from, gifts should be celebrated," Thor shook his head, and Ciara turned to him.

"Where _are_ you from?" she asked him. "I know you're not human, there's no way. But you're not a mutant, that's for sure," Ciara spoke with such surety that it made Thor smile. He leaned back in his seat, looking up at the stars.

"You are strange, even for a mortal," he told her, and Ciara was startled into a true laugh. Thor glanced to her again as she laughed, seeming to show a part of her true self, just for a moment. "You're right, I'm not of this world, or this realm. I'm from a place called Asgard; far far away from here. I was blinded by arrogance, and with my careless actions, I've started a war that will bring nothing but suffering. My father banished me, and I can now understand why," he told her quietly.

"Sounds rough," Ciara hummed, her expression thoughtful as she looked into the fire.

" _Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl wailed as she struggled furiously, her arms held painfully tight by two large men. The more she struggled, the tighter their grips got, creating bruises, but she didn't care. Her hair fell into her face; unnaturally silver in colour, and the man she was screaming to visibly recoiled when he looked at her._

" _Don't call me that, you little freak," the little girl stopped at the disgust in his tone, the tears still rolling down her cheeks._

" _But-" she was cut off when the back of his hand collided with her face. She sagged, not allowed to drop, as her face stung and the man wiped his hand on his coat._

" _To think you'd end up this way. I blame that woman. Seduced me with her beauty, and gave me nothing but a monster to remember her," he muttered, his gaze cold. He then looked to the two men who didn't react to anything that was said. "Take it to the labs. I'll be there shortly," he ordered, and they yanked the girl away._

Ciara threw the balled up paper into the fire with more force than was necessary, pulling herself from her thoughts. The hissing of the paper burning cut through the silence that had fallen, and she finished the burger quickly. She then stood up, brushing the dirt from the jeans she'd borrowed from Jane. A snore from behind her told her that Thor had finally drifted off, and she sighed, leaving the rooftop as she knew she'd not get any more sleep that night.

* * *

Thor woke as the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon, bathing the town in a pale, orange light. He sat up, and winced as his muscles protested. He was essentially mortal, and sleeping for a few hours on a sun lounger after not sleeping since before his fight with the people guarding Mjolnir.

Stifling a yawn, he glanced to Jane, who was still fast asleep, and he found himself smiling softly. Shaking his head quickly, he left the rooftop to let her continue sleeping, and walked through the lab, which was silent.

"You're up early," he jumped as Ciara's voice cut through the silence, and looked around to see her at the table, looking into a cup.

"As are you," he replied as he recovered. She just shrugged, and something told the Asgardian that she hadn't slept since their chat. Ciara was still a mystery to him; a piece of Midgard that had escaped his notice. He had thought all mortals to be the same, weak with little ability, but now his view of them had changed a great deal. Not only were there 'Mutants' like Ciara, but there were other mortals like Jane, who were smarter and stronger than some Asgardians in their own right.

"Coffee?" Ciara offered, suddenly in the kitchen as a breeze caught Thor and snapped him back to reality. He nodded, and she zipped over to him, offering the cup that surprisingly hadn't spilled. She smirked as he took it, muttering his gratitude. "Just don't smash the cup this time," Ciara suggested, and he frowned a little at her mockery. Before he could speak, she was back at the table, slumped over. "Urgh, this has reached a lull and I am _bored_. Maybe I'll go back to New York," she complained, and Thor had the suspicion that she was talking to herself more than him. "Wonder how Stark is going with his own issues..." she wondered aloud, and her stomach growled.

"It would seem you eat almost as much as me," Thor commented to her, taking a drink of coffee. It was good, though not quite as good as the coffee in the diner.

"Probably," Ciara mused, getting back to her feet. She was then gone in a silver blur out the door, causing another gust of wind that almost knocked Thor off balance, and by the time he'd settled the coffee in his cup, she was back, carrying a bag of food. "Breakfast?" she grinned, and he tilted his head.

"You enjoy using your powers frequently," his words were more of a statement than an accusation. Ciara shrugged, in the kitchenette turning on the stove.

"I might have also had some coffee," she confessed, and Thor chuckled as he approached.

"Do you require some assistance?" he offered, taking the speedster by surprise. She looked up at him, sizing him up, before nodding.

"Sure, cooking takes time and I'm not quite good at the whole patience thing," she grinned, and began showing him what to do. Thor paid as much attention to every detail as possible, thinking to himself that if this was to be his life now, it could be a lot worse.

* * *

 **As you can tell, this story will be pretty short. The next on the other hand, will be much longer.**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	6. Spilling Over

**This one's a little shorter than I wanted it, but I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Spilling Over

By the time Thor had gotten the hang of cooking for himself, Ciara was full and sprawled back in her seat, looking sleepy. Jane, Darcy and Erik had risen too, with Erik looking unwell and refusing the bacon offered.

"This is so good," Darcy let out a happy moan as she tore through the bacon on her plate. Erik looked at it, and paled, instead dropping a tablet into a glass of water as Thor brought over toast and eggs that Jane had helped him prepare. "Thank you," Darcy smiled, surprised at how much the man had changed in only two days.

"Thank you..." Erik mumbled too.

"You're very welcome," Thor beamed, happy to be of some use.

"I'd have thought you'd have left already," Darcy commented to Ciara between mouthfuls of breakfast. Ciara glanced to her, tilting her head in confusion. "It's been quiet since you guys went full Rambo to get Mew-Mew, you look bored," she accused, and Ciara felt her mouth twitch at how quickly the girl had learned to read her impatience.

"Been thinking about it," she admitted, twirling a strand of silver hair around her finger. She'd long since abandoned her hat to hide it, and Darcy didn't seem to care much. Erik seemed to feel his suspicions were confirmed about her, but he was too hungover to care much. "But something tells me there's still something interesting going on here," she shrugged, thinking about the man who had tried – and failed – to lift Mjolnir after Thor.

"Won't SHIELD be after you?" Jane asked as she took a seat with her own food.

"They already know where I am," Ciara yawned. "If they wanted me, they'd have made it less obvious," she shrugged, and Jane looked outside, half expecting them to be pressed up against the glass. Ciara chuckled, and stood. "They're on the roof across from us. Keeping an eye on the big guy so he doesn't try wiping out half their guys again," she walked over to where Thor was cleaning up.

"How long have they been there?" Darcy asked as Jane struggled not to go and look. Or shout.

"Uh...think sometime last night after Thor and Erik got back from their wild night," Erik's face tinged green at the thought of the alcohol, and he downed the drink in front of him in hopes it would help. Ciara chuckled, and took a plate to clean it, before handing it to Thor.

"Thank you," he nodded, drying it and putting it away. "What made you aware of their presence?" he asked as Jane frowned, but went back to her breakfast.

"Saw them when I was getting burgers," Ciara answered simply, and Thor wondered just how much she was willing to keep to herself unless necessary. "They're cautious, but they're no threat as long as you don't challenge them or threaten anyone," she said to Thor, not looking up from the dishes.

"You say that like you're talking from experience," Erik accused, his voice hoarse.

"Do I?" Ciara asked innocently, but didn't say any more as she handed Thor another plate to clean. As they cleaned up the pots, Jane explained to Erik and Darcy about what Thor had told her the previous night; how there were 9 realms linked through the cosmos, and how Thor was from another realm entirely.

"It's a beautiful theory Jane," Erik looked dubious as he finished his coffee, looking a bit better after the paracetamol and caffeine. "But you won't be able to convince the scientific community of any of it," he pointed out, not convinced himself by what he still considered the ravings of a madman. "Not without hard evidence," Jane sighed, knowing he was right. It was hard to believe herself, but the honesty of Thor's words made her believe him, despite not having any proof.

"I-" Jane was cut off by a loud banging on the glass.

"Found you!" a deep, excited voice was muffled by the glass, and Ciara looked around with an arched eyebrow. Her eyes then widened as she saw four people; three men and a woman, all wearing armour and looking very excited. Thor looked up as well, and his own expression changed to one of shock. There was a loud crash as both Erik and Darcy dropped their mugs, and Ciara put a hand on her hip.

"Either they're crazy too, or what Thor says...is true," she grinned. "Looks like things can still get interesting," the young woman muttered, glad she hadn't just left that morning.

"My friends!" Thor rushed over as they opened the doors and entered, laughing as Thor hugged the largest of the group; a massive man with red hair and a bushy beard, his smile at contrast with the massive axe he carried.

"This is good," Volstagg laughed.

"I don't believe it..." Erik muttered.

"Looks like the hard proof found you," he jumped as Ciara appeared beside him, and he glowered at her.

"Do you have to do that?" he grumbled. Ciara tilted her head, her innocent expression back.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Do excuse me," Volstagg approached the four as Thor hugged the rest of his friends. "Lady Sif and the Warriors Three," he introduced the band of newcomers.

"My friends, I have never been happier to see anyone," Thor told them, before his smile faded. "But you should not have come," his words took them by surprise, and their joy at finding him faded.

"We're here to take you home," Fandral told him, confused by his words.

"You know I can't come home," Thor's voice was quiet, and the sorrow was obvious. "My father is...dead...because of me," he looked down at the ground as tears welled in his eyes. "I must remain in exile," he explained.

"Thor..." Sif frowned, confused. "Your father still lives," Thor's eyes widened at her words, and he stepped back.

"No...Loki told me-"

"Loki has become King," Thor stopped at Fandral's soft words. "Your father fell into the Odinsleep not long after you were sent here," the blonde man explained.

"We came to bring you back," Sif smiled gently at her. "So you can take your rightful place," she said as Thor processed their words.

"Huh," Ciara spoke up, loudly enough for them to all hear. She was sitting at the table again, chewing on a piece of bacon as she looked thoughtful. "So the big guy is a Prince," she didn't look at any of them as she summed this up. "And you guys are warriors, like other big guy said," Volstagg frowned a little. "So are you sworn to protect Thor? Or the King?" she asked.

"We're sworn to protect the throne, and Thor is the rightful King," Sif said icily, not liking Ciara's words.

"But Thor was exiled. And I take it this Loki is the second in line?" Sif's fists clenched at Ciara's light words. "No offence to you, big guy," Ciara finally looked up at Thor, who looked confused by Ciara's words. "But if this other dude is the King, then why would you go against whatever it is you swore?" she asked, seeming innocent, but there was something in her voice that made it obvious that this wasn't an innocent question.

"You have no idea what it is you speak of, mortal," Sif stepped towards her. "And you will cease this name of 'big guy' you insist on calling Thor," she ordered, and Ciara finished the bacon she held between her fingers before standing up.

"You see, you call me mortal and look down on me, but I know more than you think," Ciara smiled back, but it was empty, and mildly threatening. "If this Loki guy is telling the big guy that his dad is dead, then yeah, he's not really a good guy. But you didn't know that he had lied to Thor until after you came here to go against even his dad's order of Thor being banished. So it's still a betrayal," Sif's eyes blazed at her words.

"Ciara, please stop," Thor pleaded with her, seeing that she was getting under his friend's skin. Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun didn't look happy either, but were holding themselves back more than Sif seemed inclined to.

"I would listen to Thor, mortal. You really do not know anything-"

"I know enough!" Ciara raised her voice, taking them all by surprise as her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "See, this is why I don't pick sides. Even the self-proclaimed good guys are liable to go against oaths they've sworn," she spoke with a heavy bitterness in her voice that made Thor's muscles relax as he realised why she'd picked a fight.

"You've said enough," Sif marched towards her, and reached out, but Ciara easily dodged, not even using a fraction of her true speed. Sif hesitated, startled at how easily she'd avoided her grasp.

"Try that again, Warrior-Princess, I dare you," Ciara goaded.

* * *

Coulson walked in a circle through the sand and dust, looking down at the strange markings that had scorched the ground. After more strange readings had been picked up at the base, he'd gone to investigate, and had found nothing other than the circular pattern burned into the ground.

Nearby, Lance leaned against one of the jeeps, on his phone as he questioned his assignment. Normally he was with the others fighting against real threats. Now he was stuck babysitting some wreckage and dealing with whatever Ciara had gotten involved with. Then again, the second part he'd been handling since he was a teenager.

"Get someone from linguistics down here," Coulson ordered. His second in command nodded, walking off as a strong wind picked up. It grew stronger, almost knocking Coulson over as he remained crouched beside the markings. Fixing his sunglasses, the man looked up as the clouds started to swirl and grow closer. Thunder echoed in the distance, and he frowned. Lance looked up from his phone, arching an eyebrow as he wondered just what was going on now.

* * *

"Try that again, Warrior-Princess, I dare you," Ciara didn't back down from the taller woman who was close to her.

"Ciara, enough," Thor raised his voice, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah," she lost the challenging air around her and walked away, turning her back to Sif. "Like it would have been a fight anyway," Ciara muttered as they didn't register the low rumble of thunder in the distance.

"What is that?" Darcy's question broke through the tension, and they looked around. Going to the door, they spotted a cloud funnel slowly making its way to the ground. Others in the town had noticed, gathering to watch the strange event. After a moment, the clouds collided with the ground, causing a powerful shockwave that send clouds of dust rolling backwards. "Was somebody else coming?" she asked slowly.

"What is going on..." Jane murmured, and there was a powerful gust of wind that made her stumble. Thor spotted the silver blur, as Ciara raced towards the funnel.

"Ciara..." he murmured, concerned for the girl.

* * *

The funnel slowly progressed towards the ground, growing closer and closer to the agents who were gathered around the markings. The wind was growing stronger, and they moved to take cover behind the cars. There was a loud thud as the clouds hit the ground, and everyone shielded their eyes as the dust clouds surrounded them.

Coughing as he inhaled the dust, Lance peeked out over the car and spotted a massive silhouette, much taller than a normal person. The dust began to settle, and the figure was revealed to be made of metal, not moving.

"Is that one of Stark's?" the man beside Coulson asked as they stood up. Lance kept low, his hands open as most pointed their guns at the strange being.

"I dunno, that guy never tells me anything," Coulson complained as he took a megaphone. The figure began to move, walking towards them as Coulson approached him. "Hello, you are using unregistered weapons technology, identify yourself," he ordered. The figure stopped, making a strange, grating noise. The place where its face should have been opened, and Coulson lowered the megaphone. "Here we go," he spoke lightly, expecting it to be Tony Stark, but instead the inside began to glow with golden light, which lit up between the panels on the being's body. "Incoming!" Coulson warned loudly, turning to run as the others took cover.

An explosion rocked the grounds as it fired a massive laser at a car, blowing it up. It blew up another, the explosion tossing a man like a ragdoll, before it turned on Coulson. The laser flew out to hit him, only for him to be tackled out of the way with enough force to wind him.

"So that guy looks friendly," Ciara commented as she stood up, looking up at the Destroyer. "You're welcome," she smirked, pulling Coulson to his feet.

"I appreciate your timing," he told her. "Do you know what this thing is?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Not a clue. I think I know _why_ it's here though," she commented as the Destroyer started towards the city.

"Do you mind sharing with the class?" Coulson asked as Lance approached. Dust streaked his tanned face, and his brow was lowered in what felt like a permanent scowl.

"Basically the big guy was banished from another world, today four of his friends decided to go against the new king's orders and bring him back. The new king clearly didn't appreciate the sentiment so sent the uh...bigger guy, to kill them all," she summed up, and both Lance and Coulson stared at her. "What?" Ciara asked, tilting her head.

"I didn't expect you to be so forthcoming," the man confessed.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Ciara shrugged.

"We need to get men into the town to evacuate," he looked around, but saw their transportation was decimated. He then looked to Ciara, who frowned.

"No way," she shook her head.

"You're the only one who can get there in time to warn them," Coulson told her firmly, and Ciara groaned. "There are innocent people in that town. Kids, people who can't defend themselves," he listed as she tried to look stubborn.

"Gah. You're just lucky this just got interesting," Ciara rolled her eyes, turning away.

"Whatever makes you feel better," Coulson told her flatly.

"Give me a ride," Lance caught Ciara's wrist, and she arched an eyebrow at him. "Come on, you got the speed but that's hardly going to help here," he told her, and smirked. "Just like old times," he insisted, and Ciara let out a loud sigh.

" _Fine_ ," she growled, yanking her wrist free, turning away from him. "I should have just let that thing blow you up," Ciara muttered, irritable as Lance grabbed hold of her shoulders, hoisting himself off the ground. "If you fall off, I'm leaving you behind," she warned.

"Just don't drop me on purpose, asshole," he retorted, and they were gone, kicking up a cloud of dust that Coulson idly swatted away.

"Get us a car," he called to one of the men, who nodded. He pulled off his sunglasses, watching the Destroyer in the distance.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think!**


	7. Grudge Match

Chapter 7: Grudge Match

Having seen the explosions were the clouds touched the ground, people in the town emerged from the buildings, calling out to each other as they wondered just what was going on. Thor's fists were clenched tightly, knowing what it was and why it was there.

"Jane, you have to leave," he spoke as the dust began to settle.

"What are you going to do?" she demanded.

"I'm staying here," he answered, and Volstagg smiled brightly, hearing his words.

"Thor's going to fight with us," he spoke with excitement, but Thor shook his head as he approached.

"My friends," he started as he stood with the other four Asgardians. "I'm just a man. I'll only be in the way, or worse, get one of you killed," Thor warned, aware of his distinct lack of power. "But I can help get these people to safety," he glanced to the scared civilians who had spotted the massive figure approaching the city.

"Well if you're staying then so am I," Jane spoke up firmly, approaching him. "We can help get everyone out faster if we work together," she pointed out. Thor smiled, nodding, as Sif frowned a little at their interaction.

"Oh, so _heroic_ of you all," they looked around as Ciara's voice rang out. They heard a yelp, and saw a young man stumbling towards them, barely staying on his feet, while the silver blur that was Ciara moved on past them, causing a gust of wind.

"Dammit Ciara, I told you not to drop me!" Lance shouted after.

"You stayed on your feet, didn't you?" Ciara reappeared beside him, wearing her cloak and pulling on a pair of goggles that rested around her neck.

"You came back?" Jane asked, surprised.

"Course I did," Ciara nodded, walking past her to stand with Lance.

"Yeah, because you totally came back out of the kindness of your heart," Lance snorted. He winced when her elbow collided with his gut.

"I can help warn people," Ciara shrugged, trying to maintain her bored expression, but her eyes were gleaming and her entire body was quivering with anticipation. "Avalanche, you good to go?" she glanced to him. Lance smirked.

"I'm sure this'll be more of a fight than you," he told her, and Ciara arched an eyebrow.

"Pretty sure I had you beat, pebbles," she told him, and was gone in a gust of wind. Lance then turned to the others, who were watching in confusion.

"Ciara will warn the people closest to that thing, we need to move people away from here now," he called to them.

"He is right," Thor nodded. The other Asgardians looked ready to ask questions, but knew it wasn't the time. "We'll need some time," he said as they hurried off.

"You'll have it," Fandral called back to him as the group scattered. They began to evacuate the town, leading people away from the Destroyer as it blew up everything in its path.

"I'll give you guys this much of a heads up," Lance called as he walked towards the Destroyer. "It's about to get real shaky around here," he smirked. They frowned, and he held up his hands, his brow furrowing in concentration. The ground began to shake, and the four stumbled, caught off guard, and the Destroyer stumbled backwards as the ground under it began to move erratically.

"Remarkable," Fandral commented, fascinated.

"Keep it distracted," Sif smirked, moving away from the group.

"Do you think you can keep that up?" Volstagg asked Lance as he raised his axe.

"Of course," Lance snorted, but his voice was strained as he spoke. Volstagg looked to the other two warriors, who nodded, and they moved towards the Destroyer.

* * *

The explosions were growing closer and closer, and the people who had been going about their daily lives were frozen in fear, unsure of what to do.

"Everyone out!" they looked around as Ciara appeared in the doorway, her voice loud and echoing through the small library. "You heard me! Out the back. Get as far away from the city as you can, don't stop and don't come back until it's safe!" she ordered. When nobody moved, staring at her, Ciara rolled her eyes. "Are you all deaf? _Move_!" she raised her voice.

"Who are you to order us around, freak?" one man drawled at her, but Ciara didn't bat an eyelid as she stared him down.

"Do you want to stand around throwing slurs? Or do you want to get away from _that_?" she didn't flinch when there was another loud explosion, closer, that made everyone flinch. The man scowled at her, before turning, grabbing his son's hand. He pulled the boy towards the back exit, and Ciara sighed as they all moved. Without waiting for them to clear out, she turned and ran back out, checking every building around and clearing them.

"Daddy!" she heard a cry nearby, and spotted a little girl cowering beside a burning car. Groaning, Ciara ran over to her, and crouched beside her.

"Hey kid, you hurt?" the girl jumped, screaming in fear as Ciara spoke, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Hearing the scream, the Destroyer twisted around, still unbalanced, and the front of its face slid down again. Ciara swore and grabbed the kid, using her speed to avoid the blast, but the explosion made her stumble, and the two crashed to the ground.

"I thought you had more grace than that, Mercury!" Lance called over.

"And I thought you had the big guy handled?" Ciara bit back, getting to her feet and lifting the little girl with her. "Kid, you know where your dad is?" she asked, and the little girl stared at her with wide eyes, before shaking her head. "Okay, then hold on," the little girl scrunched up her face and clung to Ciara as she sped off.

"For someone who claims not to care, you really are a sucker for a crying kid," Lance murmured, and dove aside as the Destroyer fired another blast at him. The shaking stopped, and the massive metal being continued forwards as if nothing had happened.

"For Asgard!" Volstagg roared as Fandral and Hogun tossed him through the air. The Destroyer swung an arm easily, backhanding the large man. He landed with a loud crash, breaking through the windscreen of a car, groaning as his entire body sang with pain. The Destroyer approached him, as he lay unable to move. The panels of its face slid down, and Volstagg's eyes widened as the light began to build again, bringing with it a heat surge.

"Honestly, the mortal distracted him more..." Sif muttered, leaping from the building she'd scaled. Her spear went through the Destroyer's neck as she landed on his shoulders heavily, almost knocking it off balance. It's explosive attack never came as the Destroyer lurched forwards, and the glowing light dyed. It slumped forwards, staying on its feet, but stopped moving, seemingly defeated. Volstagg breathed a sigh of relief as she smirked at him. However, a moment later, the light returned, and its entire body seemed to twist around so it was facing Sif. Before the destructive force could explode from its face, Sif was rammed off its body and she crashed to the ground, with the fiery light blasting into the air.

"I think I've reached my quota of saving people's butts today," Ciara walked past the stunned Asgardian, her goggles over her eyes.

"Fall back!" Sif recovered and pushed herself to her feet as the Destroyer pulled itself off her spear. She ran to join the other Asgardians, who were helping Volstagg away.

"That's all they had?" Ciara murmured to herself, standing beside Lance.

"Let's show them how we do things, Brotherhood style," he cracked his knuckles.

"Aw, Avalanche," Ciara put a hand to her chest. "That's so sweet," she simpered, before rushing the Destroyer. Her silver blur collided with the metallic monster, and the force knocked it back. Ciara skidded back several feet, catching the corners of her cape. She grinned, rushing it again and ducking under its arm as it swung at her, trying to stop her. She turned, and collided with it again, knocking the Destroyer forwards and forcing it down as she scaled its back and used its head as a springboard.

"They're crazy," Volstagg murmured, his entire body still hurting as he turned his head to watch as the two mutants faced the Destroyer. It focused on Ciara, who was on the offensive as Lance used his powers to throw the being off balance so it missed each attack. If it tried to attack Lance, Ciara was colliding with it again. Even with such force, and colliding against metal that made a loud thudding sound each time she collided with it, the speedster showed no signs of injury.

"And we shall help, once we regroup," Fandral told him, pressing him forwards as the Destroyer smashed through a pylon. It shot another jet of fire, blowing up the ground and causing Ciara to stumble backwards.

"He's tougher than a Sentinel," the speedster commented to Lance, who cracked his knuckles. He glanced to her, and saw the dust that was staining her pale features while clinging to the clothes she wore. She showed no signs of slowing down, and there was still a wide grin across her face. He rolled his eyes. She was enjoying herself, a little too much.

"I kinda guessed that when it started spitting explosions," he told her. Ciara chuckled, clearly enjoying herself.

"You know, I missed this," Ciara confessed. Like the rest of her, Ciara's silver hair was coated in a fine layer of dust and dirt, and she pushed it from her face. She watched as the Destroyer emerged from the clouds of dust, smoke and ash, golden light shining between the panels of its body. "You ready for another round?" she asked him.

"I didn't know we'd finished the first," Lance replied, throwing out his hands. The ground began to shake, and the Destroyer was knocked off balance. The explosive beam aimed for the Asgardians missed, colliding with a building nearby. Ciara started running again, kicking up a cloud of dust in a circle around the Destroyer to block its view. She then darted in, wrapping herself in her cloak entirely, and collided with the Destroyer. The force knocked it to the ground, and Ciara rolled along the ground beside it. Seeing the golden light again, she was up and out of its way, but Sif wasn't so lucky as she was blasted off her feet with a cry.

"This would be a lot easier with someone with an offensive power!" Ciara called to Lance.

"I'm the only one they called in for this!" he replied, and she groaned. "Just like old times, huh Mercury?" Lance repeated, and she laughed mockingly, before running at the Destroyer again.

"I'm just saying, no matter how many times I hit this guy, I'm not even making a dent in his armour!" Ciara warned as she kept running, dodging its blasts of explosive firepower. "At this rate all we can do is wait until the city is clear and bail!" she warned.

"Then keep him distracted and quit running your damn mouth!" Lance replied, his voice strained. Ciara rolled her eyes in response. The dust picked up again as she ran in circles around the Destroyer, however this time it seemed to be ready for her. It fired a blast of firepower at the ground much closer than before, knocking itself back, while blasting Ciara off her feet.

Ciara couldn't stop the cry from escaping her lips as she was tossed through the air. The blow that came from the side collided with her entire body, cutting off her voice and throwing her like a ragdoll. She slammed through an already damaged building with force, bouncing off the ground and rolling along until eventually she stopped in a heap, not moving. "Ciara!" Lance yelled, before the ground around him exploded as he was thrown aside. The Destroyer emerged from the smoke, using its much greater power to toss Sif one way, and the Warriors Three another. It blew up the building the three had landed in, and Volstagg was tossed back outside.

Nothing seemed to deter the Destroyer for long, as Ciara pushed herself up on wobbly arms. She felt something warm and sticky trailing down her face, as the source stung painfully. Ignoring it, she got to her feet, stumbling back out of the wreckage of the building.

"Ciara!" Thor reached her, catching her as she stumbled. "You have done far more than necessary. Please, stop," he told her.

"I'm fine," Ciara swatted him away as her vision swam. "I can handle a bit of blood," she insisted, and he smiled.

"I don't doubt it. You would make a fine warrior," he told her, and she frowned.

"I fight for myself, nobody else. I'm no warrior," Ciara told him, heated in her words, but Thor's smile just grew.

"Someday you will find something, or someone, to fight for," he told her confidently, and pushed her back lightly. Ciara opened her mouth to argue, but Lance caught her arms.

"Give it up Ciara. We don't stand a chance against that thing," he told her. Sweat poured down his face, leaving streaks through the dirt that had coated him.

"When's that ever stopped me?" Ciara struggled in his grasp, but the blood loss was making her dizzy. "Come on, it was just starting to get good," she complained, watching as Thor pushed urged his friends to back off, before turning to face the Destroyer.

"Wait!" Jane realised that he'd tossed aside Sif's shield and was walking towards the Destroyer unarmed. The Destroyer approached without attacking, leaving a smoking wreckage behind. It kicked cars out of the way as Thor spoke quietly to the creature as the panels slid down and the fires began to grow.

"What is he doing?" Ciara murmured, watching as after a moment, the Destroyer paused. The light faded, and the panels closed over, and Thor gave the slightest of smiles when the Destroyer turned as if to leave. He was caught off guard, however, when it suddenly spun around and slammed an arm against him. Weakened by the loss of his powers, Thor was tossed several feet back.

"No!" Jane sprinted away from Erik as he tried to stop her, racing towards Thor as he hit the ground in a heap. The Destroyer turned and walked away, the job completed as Jane fell to her knees beside Thor.

"It's over..." he murmured, smiling softly.

"It's not over," Jane shook her head quickly, tears forming in her eyes as she took his hand.

"I mean..." Thor struggled to breathe. "You're safe. It's over," he gasped out before slumping, his eyes closing. Jane didn't move, staring at him in horror as everyone stared. A sob bubbled from Jane's lips as the tears spilled over and she began to cry, and Lance glanced down at Ciara as even she reacted, leaning forwards slightly as her breathing became uneven.

The quiet of the sorrow and loss was shattered, when a noise in the distance reached them, booming and flashing with bright light. Ciara's head lifted sharply.

"That's thunder," she realised quietly. The young woman was out of Lance's grasp before he realised it, and grabbing Jane's arm. "Move, _now_ ," Ciara told her, but Jane yanked away from her.

"No!" she yelled as Erik yelled her name, but Ciara didn't let go, yanking her away from Thor's body as something hurtled towards them. It spun, and Thor's arm shot up as thunder rocked the area and a bolt of lightning shot down from the almost black clouds that had gathered over them. The Destroyer stopped, glancing around as the lightning continued to pour down, and it opened the panel on its face to fire a blast. Mjolnir flew from the beam of light, slamming into the Destroyer and knocking its attack off course. The hammer then flew back, hitting the being with enough force to toss it to the ground, and kept flying, returning to Thor's hand as the lightning faded.

"Now that's more like it," Ciara pulled her goggles down as Thor flew into the sky, and the spectators moved further back as the winds picked up, lifting the Destroyer into the sky. He easily deflected each attack with Mjolnir, and with one powerful blow, he slammed it back down to the ground with enough force to break it into pieces. Thor then landed, striding towards Jane as the winds faded and more wreckage crashed to the ground behind him.

"So is this how you normally look?" Jane asked as he stood in front of her, wearing silver armour with a flowing red cape.

"More or less," Thor nodded.

"It's a good look," she replied, nodding her approval.

"I like the cape," Ciara gave a thumbs up, and Darcy couldn't help but giggle as Thor smiled slightly at the speedster.

"We must return to the Bifrost site," Thor then turned to the other four Asgardians. "I would have words with my brother," he growled, knowing the fight wasn't over yet.

"Excuse me!" they looked around as Coulson called out, having arrived in a car. " _Donald_ ," he greeted, his tone making it clear he hadn't bought the cover. "I don't think you've been completely honest with me. In fact, it would seem Ciara has been more forthcoming, and that is bad," he smirked, and both glanced to Ciara, who blinked innocently.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head. Coulson took in the appearance of both mutants there, with Ciara's face bloody while both were covered in dirt.

"Know this, Son of Coul," Thor turned back to Coulson. "You and I, we fight for the same cause. The protection of this world. From this day forward, you can count me as your ally. _If_ ," he backed away as Coulson looked amused by his words. "You return the items you have taken from Jane," he stood beside the scientist, placing his hand gently on her back.

"Stolen," Jane corrected, still angry.

"Borrowed," Coulson offered, studying the large man who bargained with him. "Of course you can have your equipment back. You're going to need it to continue your research," his words made Jane smile brightly as Erik looked impressed.

"Would you like to see the bridge we spoke of?" Thor offered to Jane, taking her by surprise.

"Uh...sure," she nodded, trying and failing to hide her excitement. Thor grinned, and pulled her close, making her giggle.

"Wait, I need to debrief-" before Coulson could finish, the two flew off into the sky.

"I guess you're not quite on the same page yet," Ciara snorted, and Coulson turned to her, his brow furrowing.

"How about you debrief me on what's being going on since you arrived here?" he asked, and Ciara hummed to herself, folding her arms.

"You know, I think this bridge sounds way more interesting than that," she decided, and was gone in a flash and a gust of wind.

"Figures," Coulson didn't sound very surprised. "Alvers, let's go. You can fill me in on what happened here," he told the young man.

"Great..." Lance drawled, following him away as the others hurried to the van to get to the site too.


	8. An Anti-Climactic End

**Hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 8: An Anti-Climactic End

Ciara wasn't surprised in the slightest when she arrived at the site first. She looked around, seeing the wreckages of the cars that the Destroyer had blow up on its arrival, and she kicked a piece of broken metal away before approaching the circular markings on the ground.

Walking around, she studied them curiously before crouching to examine the scorched dirt and dust. It was solid, pressed into the ground, and made Ciara even more curious as she wondered just how it worked.

Hearing a thud, she looked up to see Thor and Jane nearby, with Jane looking a little shaky as Thor supported her, watching her with intense eyes. Ciara resisted snorting, knowing they weren't aware of anyone or anything else around them. In the distance, the van approached, carrying the four Asgardians who couldn't fly.

"So this bridge," Ciara spoke up, making the two jump and step apart. "It'll take you back to where you're from?" she asked as Thor cleared his throat and stepped towards her.

"Yes," he nodded. "The Bifrost connects Asgard to every realm in the Cosmos," Thor explained, and Ciara folded her arms.

"Huh. That is interesting," she allowed, her eyes gleaming.

"Ciara, maybe you should sit down or get that looked at," Jane suggested, aware of the blood that was sticking Ciara's hair to her face. The young woman glanced up at her, seeming a little confused, and for a moment Jane thought she had hit her head harder than she let on.

"I'm fine," Ciara insisted with a shake of her head, though she still looked confused. "It's just a scratch. Nothing a shower won't fix," she said. Ciara watched Jane for another moment, before looking back at the markings on the ground, and Jane realised that it wasn't that she was confused about what was going on, but by the concern shown.

"Who _are_ you..." Jane murmured under her breath, still so confused by the speedster who had appeared from nowhere. She'd helped Thor. She'd helped fight the Destroyer. But something about her actions and attitude made it hard to trust her. Something told the scientist that she wasn't doing it out of the kindness of her heart.

The van pulled up nearby, and the rest of the group piled out. Ciara studied them out of the corner of her eye, still crouched by the markings. Erik looked a little worse for wear, having been knocked off his feet and bashed around, all while nursing a hangover, while Darcy looked a little frazzled, but a lot better off than most. The four Asgardians looked weary, but determined, ready for another battle.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" Thor stepped into the circle, looking up to the sky, but nothing happened. His brow furrowed. "Heimdall?" he asked, softer this time.

"Maybe he didn't hear you?" Ciara suggested as she stood up, taking a step back.

"That's impossible," Thor shook his head. "Heimdall sees everything, he'd know if we were calling for him," he explained. "Heimdall!" he raised his voice again, and when there was still no response, he walked away from the circle and over to the others. "He doesn't answer," he told them.

"Then we are stranded," Hogun realised.

"Heimdall!" Thor yelled again, not about to take that for an answer. "If you can hear me, we need you now!" he shouted to the skies, but there was still no response to his shouts.

"This Heimdall is the gatekeeper as such, right?" Ciara asked as she walked over to them. She pulled her hair from her face, wincing a little as it took more effort than it should. "Maybe he's not at the gate? Or just decided to keep all of you banished?" she suggested.

"You're awfully pessimistic, aren't you?" Fandral commented, and Ciara shrugged.

"Just giving suggestions so the big guy doesn't blow my eardrum out yelling," she replied.

"Heimdall would never do that. Even if his loyalty is sworn to the king, he has proven himself Thor's ally and will do what he can without truly breaking his oath," Sif told her, irritated that Ciara continued to refuse to call Thor by his name.

"Of course he is," Ciara's tone was dry and her expression unsurprised. "Wonder if anyone can actually trust each other there," she muttered to herself, folding her arms. Sif's expression darkened, and the weary Asgardian took a step towards her.

"Heimdall, we need you now!" Thor yelled again before Sif and Ciara could come to blows. "Heimdall!" Thor roared, raising his voice even more. Silence answered, and he let out a breath, before the wind began to pick up.

"Looks like he finally heard you," Ciara pointed up, and they saw the clouds swirling around a bright light. Sif and the Warriors 3 ran over to it, and Thor turned to Jane, pulling her close.

"I must go back to Asgard, but I give you my word, I will return for you," he declared quietly, and lifted her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. This time Jane didn't giggle, staring at him. "Deal?" he offered, smiling softly. She didn't answer, staring at him for a moment longer, before pulling him down to meet her in a strong kiss. The others looked away, with Darcy giggling as Erik rolled his eyes. Ciara just brushed the dust off her cloak, looking bored again.

"Deal," Jane whispered back as she pulled away, and Thor's smile grew. It then faded as he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, but he had something more important to face first. Thor drew back, letting her go and stepping with the other four into the light of the Bifrost. They vanished, pulled into the sky, and the light faded, leaving nothing but a heavy silence.

* * *

The hours passed over the day, but there was still no sign of the Bifrost returning. Jane refused to leave as the day wore on, alternating between pacing, occasionally sitting down mumbling to herself, or standing staring at the circular pattern that had been burned into the ground.

There were few words spoken between them, even when Ciara left for a while and returned with water and something to eat. She'd showered, and Erik had tended to the two deep cuts over her right eyebrow that had been the source of the blood. Now the speedster was lying on the bonnet of the jeep, looking up at the sky. Even she hadn't much to say. Eventually she closed her eyes, and let sleep take over.

She dreamed of the past, as she often did; flashes of memories, both good and bad, but more than she cared for. She didn't like to think about her past, and her dreams didn't give her a choice in the matter. But then they changed, similar to the dream she'd had shortly before arriving.

 _People bustled around Ciara as she looked around. It was dark and dreary, and she couldn't make out the faces of anyone around her, as a blue hue shone too bright for her to make out any features. Her fists clenched as she looked around, finding the place was similar to others she had seen in the past, putting her on edge._

 _Ciara rubbed at her eyes, but still couldn't see anything as the blue light seemed to grow stronger. Someone bumped into her, knocking her off balance, and she stumbled forwards, putting her hands to her ears as she realised the sounds around her were muffled._

 _Not sure what was going on, she crouched, clamping her eyes shut to try and block out the blue light that was growing brighter and brighter, burning through her eyelids. Her heart pounded against her chest, before a shadow moved in front of the light, causing the stinging to fade._

 _Looking up, Ciara saw a silhouette with their back to her. Their murmurs were even more muffled to the girl, and she straightened up. Reaching out, she tried to touch them._

Ciara's hand swung through the air above her as she woke from her dream, her arm outstretched above her. She sat up quickly, lowering her hand and staring at it.

"What the hell?" she wondered quietly, before looking up at the sky again. The sun was beginning to set, and both Darcy and Erik looked ready to call it a day. Ciara looked over to Jane, seeing tears stubbornly clinging as she stared at the pattern on the ground.

"He's gone..." she murmured, staring up at the clouds that had still lingered overhead. Ciara followed her gaze, and saw the clouds start to dissipate.

"What happened out there with your brother, big guy?" Ciara wondered, as Jane lowered her head. Tears ran down her face, finally escaping as she took in a deep breath. Sighing heavily, Ciara jumped down from her perch, and fixed her cloak before turning.

"You're leaving," she stopped at Darcy's quiet accusation, and looked around to see the three looking at her.

"Well it would seem all the fun is over with here," she shrugged, her lips turned up in an easy grin, but it was forced. Shaken by her strange dream, Ciara just wanted to start running. "I have stuff to do and SHIELD agents to avoid for a while," she turned and walked away.

"Thank you," she stopped again, not looking around as Jane spoke up. "You said that you did this for fun, but you still helped us. Helped Thor," Ciara frowned at the ground, not looking around at them. "So...thank you," she repeated herself. A silence fell over the four, before Ciara started running, kicking up a dust cloud as she vanished in a streak of silver and black.

The dust settled, and Darcy looked around to the other two. Erik shrugged, and Jane was back to staring at the circle. The younger woman sighed, and walked back to the jeep, with Erik following. Jane took a breath, wiping her tears, and did the same.

* * *

By the time she reached New York, and her apartment, night had fallen, turning the sky navy. The people walked around, some talking about the explosion in New Mexico, but most seemed unaware, and none of them knew what had really gone on, instead talking about other events, but Ciara wasn't listening as she sped past them.

Tossing her keys onto the stand by the door, Ciara walked through the apartment, which was sparse in its decoration. She kicked off the shoes she'd been wearing, making a note to get new ones when she saw how worn down they were. She pulled off her cloak and tossed it aside, before falling forwards onto the sofa and sprawling across it. After a moment, she started laughing, and rolled onto her back.

"That...was amazing," she declared to herself. "I've not had that much fun in years. I owe Gadget for that," Ciara admitted, and rooted around in her pockets to pull out a phone she'd lifted on her way back to New York. As she checked out news articles, wondering what had been reported about New Mexico, she sat up. "What the hell happened?" she questioned.

Ciara continued to scroll through the phone as fast as it would let her, reading of the events that had transpired not only in New York when she'd been gone, but at the Stark Expo. A massive, unstoppable monster fighting another in Harlem, destroying a large part of the area, and Iron Man fighting alongside another suit that had been dubbed 'War Machine'. The events of New Mexico had been almost completely overshadowed, with statements that it had been a large earthquake that had caused the destruction. "SHIELD in action, no doubt," Ciara murmured.

She fell back, starting to laugh again as she thought about what had transpired in less than a week. "Stark showing off, some sorta Mutant fight...and the big guy coming from another world..." Ciara summed up, grinning widely. "Sounds like the world is finally going to hell," she laughed again, letting the phone drop from her hand.

* * *

Jane rushed around her lab, barely staying in place for longer than a few seconds before she was moving again, ordering around the agents returning her equipment as if they worked for her.

"I do apologise for our earlier actions," Coulson said, looking amused at Jane's behaviour. "Have you had any word from Thor?" he asked, turning to Erik when it was clear that Jane wasn't paying him any heed.

"Not a word," Erik said, grim.

"I see. Please, let us know if he returns to Earth, we have a lot to discuss with him," Coulson requested, and Erik nodded, but looked as if this was the further thing from his mind. "Thank you," the agent smiled, turning to walk away.

"Just one thing," he stopped, turning back to Erik as the astrophysicist spoke up. "That girl, Ciara Ellis. You seem to have had dealings with her in the past...who is she?" he asked.

"Yeah, she showed up out of nowhere, and then left when Thor did," Darcy nodded, overhearing and walking over. Coulson didn't speak for a moment, before offering a thin smile.

"For the most part, Ciara Ellis is a Mutant who works alone in preventing Anti-Mutant feelings spreading any further than verbal and minor physical abuse," Erik frowned at the statement.

"And...?" Darcy pressed.

"I'm afraid it's classified," Coulson answered, and Darcy pouted, unhappy with the answer.

"She helped us," they looked at Jane as she approached, finally paying attention to them as the agents left, looking worn out. "But not to help us. There was something more to it," she accused, frowning at the man in charge. He didn't speak, just giving a polite smile.

"She saved the Asgardian lady, and she helped with evacuating the people," Darcy defended the speedster, innocent. "How can you say that?" she asked Jane. The scientist sighed.

"Ciara doesn't help people just to help them," they all looked at Lance as he spoke, his arms folded as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Alvers," Coulson warned, but Lance didn't react.

"If something is interesting, Ciara will get involved, no matter what it is," he continued. "She's been like this as long as I've known her. She gets involved to see what happens, and to see what her involvement will do. Ciara acts entirely on her own and she will fight anyone who she thinks can give her a challenge," Lance explained, his dark gaze moving to Darcy. "You can't trust her. She doesn't pick sides," his gaze then wavered, and he looked at the ground, his expression darkening. The three exchanged looks, figuring it out. He knew _why_ she didn't pick sides.

"She said something about that..." Darcy remembered. "About people going back on their word," she said, and Lance sighed.

"That's her alright. That's why you can't trust her. She doesn't pick sides, she doesn't trust loyalty," he said, his voice firm. Darcy wilted, stepping back at his words and looking down. Jane reached out, putting a hand on her arm in comfort.

"Thank you for your time," Coulson spoke, shooting Lance a look that told him he needed to be quiet.

"Yessir. Was just warning them," he rolled his eyes and walked out. Coulson sighed, thinking to himself that sometimes Lance could be just as bad as Ciara, in that he could revert back to his attitude as a teenager.

"Thank you," Jane smiled, looking around at her equipment. A determined look shone in her eyes, convincing Coulson that she would be continuing her research as soon as he left. He nodded to them, and turned, leaving. As he did, Jane immediately turned to the others two, telling them what needed to be done.

"You know they needed to be warned sir," Lance said as Coulson approached the car.

"Within reason, Alvers. Ciara's – and your – past were sealed so that you could move on from it, and to help against the Anti-Mutant feelings out there," he reminded the young man, who sighed and opened the car door.

"I know..." he agreed.

"Ciara will find a place eventually," Coulson told him as they got into the car. "She just needs to find somewhere to place her loyalty," he insisted. Lance gave a wry smile, looking out the window as the car started to move.

"It's a nice ideal, sir," he started. "But I think that place would have to be seriously messed up for her to be interested," he smirked to himself at the thought. Coulson didn't reply, but he had to agree with the Mutant.

* * *

 **I thought this was the last chapter, but not quite. One more left!  
**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Please review!**


	9. Something Interesting

**Onto the final chapter of the first story! Hope you like it!  
**

* * *

Chapter 9: Something Interesting

The days passed, turning into weeks, and then months, and there was still no sign of the man from the stars.

The events that had transpired in New Mexico had been quickly forgotten; overshadowed by Iron Man and what had been dubbed 'The Incredible Hulk', both of whom had been over every form of media possible. Even now, they were still talked about, even after the mysterious, unstoppable monster had vanished.

Scrolling through a report given, Ciara's brow furrowed, seeing the NDAs that the people who lived in the small town had been given. No wonder the truth hadn't come to light, remaining a claim of an earthquake. Not that she was very surprised. SHIELD tried to hide as much to do with the unnatural as they could. But considering how 'normal people' reacted to something different, Ciara couldn't fault them.

Reaching up, she idly scratched the scar tissue that formed two lines over her right eyebrow, standing out against her pale skin, and continued to read the files on screen.

"Weapons?" she spoke aloud, opening another set of files. Ciara's blue eyes scanned them at high speed, no sooner had she opened it, she was closing it to open another. "Such a wonder why I don't trust SHIELD. Using that big thing's tech to make weapons..." Ciara muttered, unimpressed.

Sighing heavily, she closed the files, and drummed her fingertips against the desk, her brow knitting together. After a moment, she pulled up another search, trying to find reports of any sort of events taking place around the world. "Come on, you idiots," she murmured when each one turned up nothing she needed. "Where are you? I could use a little help from you guys," Ciara pleaded, frustration taking over. When she reached the last report, with none of them showing anything she wanted, she cursed and slammed her fist against the desk.

The bang made her freeze, and she waited, not moving an inch for several seconds as she waited for an alarm to go off. Her pounding heart seemed to grow loud enough to be heard through the thick silence, which hung over her like a weight. When nothing happened after the noise she'd made, she sighed, relaxing. "Pointless. It's another waste of my time," she declared, before something else caught her attention. "The...Avengers Initiative?" Ciara spoke quietly, her frustration gone as curiosity took over.

A quiet laugh escaped her lips as she opened and read Fury's files, listing a group of individuals who had come onto SHIELD's radar, including Tony Stark. Ciara let out a hum as she brought up information on the monster known as the Hulk. "Human? Not even a mutant? Poor guy," she murmured as she read about Bruce Banner, who after exposure to a large amount of radiation, could now shift into the Hulk; impossibly strong and full of rage.

Her eyes widened when she moved onto another, bringing up information on a hero that everyone knew. "So, they finally defrosted the most patriotic hero on the planet. Interesting," the Speedster had to admit, she was intrigued. Running her hand through her silver hair, which had grown since her adventure in New Mexico, Ciara continued to read the files, entertained. "Oh Fury, you're more of a dreamer than I expected," she smirked.

Ciara's entertainment faded, when she something else caught her attention. "Phase Two...now _that_ sounds more like the SHIELD I know," Ciara opened the file, but no sooner had she started reading it, did an alarm start to blare loudly. "Whoops," she laughed, backing away from the computer and pulling the hood of her cloak up. She heard the footsteps pounding towards her.

"Ciara Ellis, stop where you are!" a man burst in, his gun raised, but Ciara was gone. He swore loudly. "Hunt her down and bring her in!" he ordered, furious, and the team he was with rushed back out quickly.

* * *

At first, Ciara thought nothing over the SHIELD agents finding her in the lab, taking a peek at their databases. After all, it wasn't the first time it had happened, and all that had happened then was a stern talking to from whoever found her first.

This time, she noted, it was different. Whether it was something she'd read, or if she'd just pushed them too far after what had happened with the Destroyer and breaking into their temporary base to help Thor take back Mjolnir, it seemed that she had finally gone too far with SHIELD.

"Ellis, we have you caught this time!" an agent warned as they stepped into the apartment, guns ready as the rest of the team surrounded the building. He stopped, a little taken aback, when he saw the young woman on the sofa, not looking the least bit bothered.

"Huh. I guess you really _have_ had it with me poking my nose in," Ciara didn't open her eyes, her hands behind her head as she lay across the sofa. "What was it that pissed Fury off? Me getting into the base without trouble? Or maybe reading about Phase Two," the man's eyes narrowed, and he trained his gun on her.

"You're under arrest Ellis, come quietly or we will have to use force," he ordered. Ciara just yawned widely, before opening her eyes and standing up slowly, her hands raised. He lowered his gun, going for his cuffs, and heard Ciara laugh quietly.

"Clearly you've not read my file," he looked back up, finally registering her attire. Under her black cloak, she wore a blue and grey shirt and blue trousers, both made of material that wouldn't wear easily, and a pair of black boots, one with blue laces and the other with grey, also looking as if they were designed for heavy duty. "Because I don't ever do that," Ciara smirked, and flitted out of view. There was a gust of wind and the agents struggled to try and stop her from getting to the door, but she collided with the man blocking the exit. He slammed against the wall, hard enough to crack it, and the team leader fired a shot, but Ciara avoided it easily. She winked, and vanished, running again.

"She's on the move, get ready," the man called into his radio, and the men keeping an eye out from the outside aimed their weapons at the doors as they left the apartment and rushed down the stairs. Pushing the door open, they stopped, raising their hands when they realised they were face to face with their own men. "Where is she?" he yelled, and they shook their heads.

"She hasn't left the building," one told him, and the man snarled and ran back inside.

Ciara snickered to herself, watching them rush around trying to find her. Glancing to the camera on her, she winked, waving, and pulled her hood up before starting to run, vanishing from view.

* * *

 _People bustled around Ciara as she looked around. The lighting was poor and there was a dripping noise, echoing behind her. She couldn't make out the faces of anyone around her, as a blue hue shone too bright for her to make out any features. Her fists clenched as she looked around, finding the place was similar to others she had seen in the past, putting her on edge._

 _Ciara rubbed at her eyes, but still couldn't see anything as the blue light seemed to grow stronger. Someone bumped into her, knocking her off balance, and she stumbled forwards, putting her hands to her ears as the dripping noise faded into obscurity and instead a humming noise started to grow in volume._

 _Not sure what was going on, she crouched, clamping her eyes shut to try and block out the blue light that was growing brighter and brighter, burning through her eyelids. The light then faded as a shadow fell over her, and as she opened her eyes, the shadow split into three, and the humming grew even louder._

Ciara woke up with a start, breathing heavily as she almost fell from the tree she'd been sleeping in.

"That dream again..." she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "What is going on?" Ciara looked down at her hands, her brow furrowing. "Please don't be some sort of change to my powers..." she pleaded to herself, before hearing her phone buzz. She sighed, and answered it. "What's up?" she yawned.

" _Still on the run, huh Speedy?_ " the deep voice of Gadget echoed from the phone.

"It must be big if you're bothering to call," Ciara said, not answering his question. Gadget laughed in amusement.

" _Can't I just call to see how you are_?" he asked, sounding innocent. Ciara rolled her eyes, running her hand through the hair.

"Jonny, not once in the years I've known you, have you just 'called to see how I am'," she said dryly.

" _Well when you call me that, why would I_?" he argued, and Ciara smirked slightly. Ever since Darcy had told her the nickname for the man, she couldn't resist calling him it. And he hated it. " _But you're right, I do have something interesting for you,_ " Gadget cleared his throat, knowing that she was enjoying getting under his skin.

"Do share," Ciara requested, intrigued. As she'd said, it was rare for Gadget to call her, as he preferred to use his powers to send her messages instead.

" _Well Speedy, I was looking into SHIELD like you asked_ ," Ciara moved, taking a quick glance around. " _Seems it really was a combo of all the stuff lately that's finally tipped them over and labelled you a threat to security_ ," his words made Ciara laugh.

"Took them long enough," she laughed, not seeming very worried by his announcement.

" _I am surprised it took them this long alright. I figured you breaking into their base with that hammer would have been the last straw,_ " Gadget admitted." _But that's not the most interesting thing I found. When I was looking into it, I found details of another base that's totally off the grid, and it's providing a hell of a lot of power_ ," Ciara's laughter faded as he told her this. " _The security is intense, so they must be guarding something really big there_ ," he told her.

"That _does_ sound interesting," Ciara hummed as she thought about it. "Something I wouldn't be able to resist," she spoke slowly, her leg swinging freely. "So either SHIELD have set this up to lure me in, or _you_ are selling me out," Ciara accused, her tone mild.

" _Both are plausible. I mean, we aren't allies Speedy_ ," Gadget reminded honestly. " _You don't do teams and we have clashed in the past_ ," he considered. " _But...if I was going to sell you out, I would have done so already_ ," Gadget told her, and Ciara had to admit, he had a point. ' _So this_ could _be something that SHIELD have come up with to try and get your attention so they can catch you, but I haven't found anything to prove that. I think it's legit, or else they have someone really good with computers_ ," he said.

"Better than you?" Ciara arched an eyebrow, and received a snort in response.

" _Please_ ," Gadget almost sounded offended. " _I really want to know what's going on here myself too. I can barely get any info on it, like I said, they're off the grid. Short of walking in myself, I can't get anything,_ " he complained.

"So you want me to risk my ass to find out for you," Ciara summed up.

" _Well...in my defence, you'd be going anyway, once you knew. What's the harm in me reaping the benefits_?" Gadget asked innocently.

"That's more like it," Ciara chuckled. "Now that's something I can trust," she allowed, thinking about. "Okay, I guess you'll have to send me the details. Breaking into a temporary base is one thing, but a high-security building where there's potentially something powerful? That's going to take some planning," she told him.

" _I look forward to it,_ " Gadget hung up, and Ciara returned her phone to her pocket, before leaning back and looking to the sky. Her dream was forgotten as her mind focused on what Gadget had told her, and a potential new adventure. The idea made her laugh quietly.

"I doubt it'll be as interesting as a man falling out of the sky...and a hammer that nobody could move," she yawned widely, her eyes closing as she drifted off again, wondering what was going to happen next.

* * *

 **So that's the first story done! As you can tell, this was just a starter to what's going to be shown more in the sequel, Destiny Unclaimed.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story!**


End file.
